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and of delicious fragrance, they stand pre-eminently out 
from all other bulbous flowering plants. The name is 
from a Celtic word, signifying whiteness. It is found in 
all the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere, in 
many of its distinct and beautiful groups. A few only 
_are found in sub-tropical Asia. California has also fur- 
nished several, while we have in most of the Southern 
- States many really fine indigenous sorts; for instance, 
what lady in the South that grows fiowers is not familiar 
with the Pancratium or Spider Lily? From the banks 
of the Nile and the Amazon we get two most beautiful 
sorts. Japan has furnished by far the greater number of 
really excellent sorts, and to China we give due credit 
for the ‘‘ Sacred Lily.’’ How sacred! and what a Lily! 
The Lilium Candidum is the oldest known species and 
comes from the Levant. Siberia furnishes the beautiful 
Lilium Tenuifolium, and Bermuda the well known vari- 
ety of that name, known in the commerce of to-day, and. 
with the exception of the Calla Lily and Lily of the 
Valley, is most popular at the present time. A remark- 
able feature in this class of plants is that it has no inferior 
varieties among it, in fact the Lily has no poor relation, 
and antiquated as many of the sorts may be, they are all 
eagerly sought after to-day. The Ricardia, known also 
by the sobriquet of ‘‘ Calla Lily’’ and ‘ Lily of the Nile,” 
is one of the most widely known plants in cultivation. 
It is as old fashioned as a last year’s bonnet, but is never 
retrimmed or yet cast aside, and continues to grow on in 
its own peculiar beauty from season to season, regardless 
the vagaries of dame fashion, and yet is invariably in 
attendance at the marriage ceremony, the reception and 
the banquet—a true case of the survival of the fittest. 
The genus has an unlimited number of varieties, and 
each subdivision is equally numerous, so that we will 
