AND THEIR CULTURE. 39- 



growth exhibited by me, and among- them was Speciosum SplendiJum, 

 standing 7 feet 9 inches iu its pot, and 2 feet G inches over the base of 

 the flowering part of the stem — had neither solid nor liquid manure. 

 We have one large clump of Auralum, protected from north and east 

 winds by large shrubs, but with no dwarf ones among them ; last year 

 these Lilies had shoots more than a foot high when the late frost bent 

 their heads to the ground ; they afterwards stood up again, but neither 

 growth nor bloom was as good as usual. Szovitzianum was proved l)y 

 Mr. Berkeley to succeed admirably, planted out in his stiff soil. I do not • 

 believe that in any but exceptional seasons Longljloruni can be perfectly 

 grown except in pots, or at least under cover; stems between 3 and 4 feet 

 high, with four and five blooms 8 inches long, can be thus grown, but 

 I never but once got anything ,like this out-of-doors — one plant 

 reached the full growth in a dwarf Rhododendron bed in peat, but the 

 blooms were not perfect. I believe there will be similar experience with 

 all the early growing Lilies — those which are well above ground before 

 danger from frost is over (Loiuiijiorum is well up with us out-of-doors 

 now, in a warm corner); but that the other Lilies may be grown perfectly 

 out-of-doors in suitable situations, and some of the tiuperhum type, 

 especially deep-rooting ones, probably better than in pots. We had 

 special pots, made much deeper than the ordinary ones; these gave good 

 results, but not yet very markedly so. As to soil, I believe the beautiful 

 old Candidam, and a few others, like stiff soil, but nine out of ten Lilies 

 grow best in peat, or peat two-thirds to one-third loam, which seems 

 best for pots; the loam, if stiff, mixed with sharp sand. The efiect of 

 difference of soil with some Lilies in pots is less than might be supposed. 

 In November, J 871, we tried two experiments in this direction. No L 

 was planted with eight bulbs of tSpeciosum Album, in a large pot 

 in soil composed of two parts loam, one part river sand, and half a part 

 old dung ; and a corresponding pot with the same number of similar sized 

 bulbs, in two parts peat, one part loam, and one part river sand. 

 Experiment No. 2 : six large bulbs of Speccosum liuhrum, in two parts 

 loam, one part old dung, and six of exactly the same size in two parts 

 peat, one part old dung. In these two experiments the pots with the 

 peat showed rather the best results, but there was no great difference, but 

 in none of the three were the results as good as in our usual compost." — 

 G. F. Wilsoii, Heatkerbanl; Weyhridge. Gard. Chronicle. 



" I send one or two notes of experience lately gained when planting 

 Lilies. For many years past I have urged friends who grew Lilies to 

 allow plenty of room for the roots, especially for pot Lilies. We had pots 

 specially made, deep in proportion to their diameter ; and some two years 

 ago, wishing to plant Lilies at the side of lawn-beds where there were 

 many trees, which, while they gave shade and shelter, would pull from 

 their soil, I copied the pots used by my neighbour and friend, Dr. Bennett, 

 to plunge his palm-trees in summer round his lawn, and sunk some of 

 these iu which had been planted bulbs of L. Auratum, Krainerl, and 

 Canadiinse. A few days back I took them up, and found the roots 

 much longer than even I expected, one not very large Anratum bulb, 



