X5REATIO^S JN PLANT LIFE 



A visitor to the lily -testing grounds at 

 Sebastopol, Mr. Charles Howard Shinn, in a 

 newspaper article printed at the time, spoke 

 thus of the general effect: 



"This great mass of a hundred thousand 

 lilies in full bloom, on a California hillside, in 

 mid-June, surrounded by orchards, wheat fields 

 and fringes of forest, is peculiarly enchanting. 

 As one approaches, the golden, orange and 

 red tints which predominate, mingled with 

 various shades of green, produce the effect of 

 some huge product of Oriental looms. Little 

 by little, as one draws closer, the colors sepa- 

 rate, and widely diverse types of flowers are 

 seen to be growing side by side. One finds 

 lily stems varying in height from six inches to 

 nine feet, all bearing open flowers. Some 

 plants have many stems, others but one, and 

 a few present stems with distinct branches 

 like the branches of a tree. Flowers, leaves, 

 stems and roots show every conceivable varia- 

 tion. The biologist would find material for a 

 volume in this lily field. 



"Some lilies have but one petal, rolled like 

 a cigar and half-open like the broader end of 

 a cypripedium. Others have two petals spread- 



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