1870.] SOMETHING ABOUT JAPAN LILIES. 401 



SOMETHING ABOUT JAPAN LILIES. 

 Having in February last received a large collection of Lilies from 

 Japan — sent home by Lieut. Woodroffe of the Royal Navy, where he 

 had been stationed three years — I desire to give some account of my 

 treatment of them. The collection consisted, among others, of 220 bulbs 

 of L. auratum. These were potted as soon as they arrived, the largest 

 bulbs in 32-sized pots ; the smaller ones, four or five into 24-sized pots. 

 The following mixture of soils was used : about equal quantities of peat 

 and strong loam, and about a sixth part of leaf-mould, with a good 

 portion of silver-sand to keep the soil open : these were well chopped 

 to pieces with the spade and thoroughly mixed together : the pots were 

 well drained with crocks about an inch deep, and then about the same 

 quantity of the roughest of the compost put over them, the bulbs 

 placed about an inch below the rim of the pot, and the soil pressed 

 firmly about them. I then placed them in a cold vinery till they began 

 to grow, and very little water was given till they began to grow freely. 

 They will not be allowed to get dry till they have done flowering, when 

 water will be gradually withheld, and the pots laid on their side to 

 mature the bulbs till potting-time comes round again, which should 

 not be later than November. 



The auratums began to bloom the first week in June, and will con- 

 tinue to do so for at least another month; that will make a successive 

 bloom of three months. They vary in size and markings ; some are of a 

 much brighter yellow in the centre of each petal than others : the larg- 

 est flower was about 24 inches in circumference. Four bulbs not larger 

 than a hen's egg gave two and three blooms each. The best bloom I have 

 at present is a deep yellow at the bottom of the petals, shading off to a 

 brown at the margin of the centre of each, with large spots of red. 



My experience with this grand Lily had been somewhat limited till 

 this season, as the first auratum I bought a few years ago, after it had 

 flowered the second year, was laid in the pit under the stage in the green- 

 house with several of L. lancifolium, to rest previous to potting; and to 

 my great annoyance the auratum bulb was eaten by mice, and not one 

 of the other varieties touched by them. It appears to me that species 

 was preferred by the mice on account of the bulb being sweeter to 

 the taste than the others. 



Should any of your readers have had any experience of the auratum 

 bedded out, I shall feel very grateful if they will give the result in the 

 pages of the ' Gardener. ' 



I intend to bed them out myself this autumn, and have selected 

 some twelve varieties for the purpose ; and I hope, all being well next 

 summer, to send you some account of how far I succeed with them. 



2c 



