THE NEW JAPAN LILIES. 



31 



which, at eighteen inches from the ground, 

 is 3 ft. 1 in. in circumference. This is 

 the largest box tree I have ever heard of. 

 In the same grounds is the Washington 

 Chestnut. This celebrated tree is of the 

 large fruited variety, planted by Washing- 

 ton. Its dimensions are, height 52 ft. 4 

 in. ; circumference 10 ft. 1 in. A Beach 

 tree near by, one of the finest and most 

 graceful ones I ever saw, measures 87 ft. 

 6 in. in height, and 7 ft. 2 in. in girth. 



Magnolia grandiflora. — A specimen of 

 this fine evergreen, now growing in the 



grounds of Laurel Hill cemetry, where it 

 was removed from the McArran's garden, 

 measures 17 ft. 4 in. in height ; 13 inches 

 in circumference at the ground. 



More accounts of our fine arboricultural 

 specimens in my next. 



Yours, very truly, 



J. Jay Smith. 



P. S. My Virgilia trees are this day in 

 superb bloom. Why is this most beautiful 

 hardy western tree so rare ? [Why, in- 

 deed ? We know nothing of the kind 

 more charming than this fine tree. — Ed.] 



THE NEW JAPAN LrLIBS. 



BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The Lily, from time immemorial, has been 

 the theme of the poet, and the subject of 

 sweet allusions by men of taste and learn- 

 ing ; frequently and beautifully is it refer- 

 red to in the Scriptures, for its exquisite 

 fragrance and loveliness, and for magnifi' 

 cence, Divine authority has declared " that 

 Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed 

 like one of these." 



It is not my purpose, at present, to in- 

 quire whether the species or variety thus 

 sublimely spoken of, was the Lily of the 

 Valley, belonging to the genus Convalla- 

 ria, as some have supposed ; the Lilium 

 candidum, of Pliny, or the splendid tribe 

 with which this chapter is introduced to 

 the notice of your readers. 



Of the many remarkable plants import- 

 ed into Europe, within the last half centu- 

 ry, few can claim such a pre-eminence for 

 beauty, as the Lilies discovered by Dr. Von 

 SiEBOLD, during his researches in Japan, in 

 the years 1831 to 1833 ; and it is no exag- 

 geration to state, that none have since been 



introduced, more deservedly popular, or 

 more highly attractive. 



Dr. Von Siebold informs us, in his Flora 

 Japonica, that he brought with him, from 

 Japan, more than twenty kinds of Lilies, 

 the most conspicuous of which, however, 

 are the Lilium s'peciosuvi, (sometimes called 

 rubrum,) the L. lancifolium albu?n, and the 

 L. lancifolium punctatum, or roseum. All 

 these have reflexed petals, and may be 

 briefly described as follows : 



LILIUM SPECIOSUM. 



Shoivy Crimson Japan Lily. 



Flower, ground color, clear rose, shading 

 to white, covered with numerous small pro- 

 jections of bright crimson, and Avhich gives 

 it the appearance, as Dr. Lindley remarks, 

 of being " all rugged, with rubies and gar- 

 nets and crystal points ;" a plant of two to 

 three feet in height. 



LILIUM LANCIFOLIUM ALBUM. 

 White Lance-leaved Lili/t 



Flower, pure virgin white, crested with 

 the same peculiar projections as the former 

 species, but these are without color, and 



