THE LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY. 87 
should be planted all over the bed one foot apart every 
way, if strong plants ; and the Lily-of-the-valley should 
be planted as soon as they can be had, which will not 
be before the middle of November for mature buds ; 
and here I recommend single crowns as the best for 
making the plantation. 
The pit of the Lily will take about 2,700 roots, single 
crowns, at four inches apart, to plant it well. These 
single crowns should be all matured roots, each with 
a bud that will give a spike of flower, one or more, the 
first season, that is, if those are used which are required 
to flower the following spring; if not, any good roots 
may be used, which can be had in some localities from 
our woods, but these may not flower for two or three 
seasons after planting. 
If the single crowns are used that are offered by 
the trade growers of this plant, such as Krelage or 
Roozen, of Holland, every one of them will give one or 
more spikes of flower the following spring, which from 
a commercial point of view is of much importance to 
many men, for 3,000 spikes of flower at 16s. per hundred 
would realise 24/., which would go a long way towards 
paying the cost of the pit the first season. The cost of 
the roots would be 5/., but you will never have to buy 
again. 
In planting these single crowns of the Lily, first 
make the bed moderately fine, and put three or four 
inches of fine sifted soil comprising a good portion of sand 
and some fine leaf-mould on the top of all, and rake it 
over so as to make it close and even all over the surface. 
Then draw drills across it with a half-moon hoe deep 
enough to let in the crowns an inch below the surface 
of the bed, press the roots well into the drills, taking 
