84 



PRACTICAL FLOKICULTUKE. 



them to remain thus covered until spring. In spring, if 

 too thick, they may be planted separately, and by fall of 

 the second year will make flowering bulbs. 



There is another method of increasing the Lily, which 

 is simpler and equally expeditious. On lifting up in 



the fall an old plant 

 that has bloomed, it will 

 be observed that the 

 large bulbs are formed 

 below the roots that are 

 thrown out from the 

 stem at the surface of the 

 ground ; after detaching 

 this mass of roots from 

 the bulb, an examination 

 will show that, imbed- 

 ded among the roots of 

 every plant, there are 

 from six to twelve small 

 bulbs, about the size of 

 hazel-nuts, as in figure 

 28, in which fewer bulbs 

 are shown than are usu- 

 ally produced. Allow 

 these to remain attached 

 to the roots, and plant 

 the whole closely packed 

 together in rows or 

 beds, as desirable, covering up on the approach of 

 winter, as directed for the scales. In spring, on remov- 

 ing the covering, the young bulbs will be starting 

 up with great vigor, some of them being of sufficient 

 strength to flower the first season, and by fall making 

 bulbs, nearly all of which will be of sufficient size to 

 flower. This method of increasing the Lily is practised 

 by our cultivators, but I am of the opinion that it cannot 



Fig. ^3. LILY BULB WITH BULBLETS. 



