LILIES AND THEIR WHIMS 263 



Of the treatment of the little flower, that is erroneously 

 supposed to feast only upon leaf-mould in the deep 

 shade, you shall hear later. 



By all means begin your lily bed now, for the one 

 season at which the Madonna lily resents removal 

 the least is during the August resting time. Then, 

 if you lift her gently while she sleeps, do not let the 

 cool earth breath that surrounds her dry away, and 

 bed her suitably, she will awaken and in a month put 

 forth a leafy crown of promise to be fulfilled next 

 June. Madonna does not like the shifting and lift- 

 ing that falls to the lot of so many garden bulbs owing 

 to the modern requirements that make a single flower 

 bed often a thing of three seasonal changes. Many 

 bulbs, many moods and whims. Hyacinths and early 

 tulips blossom their best the first spring after their 

 autumn planting (always supposing that the bob- 

 tailed meadow-mice, who travel in the mole tunnels, 

 thereby giving them a bad reputation, have not feasted 

 on the tender heart buds in the interval). 



The auratum lily of the gorgeous gold- banded and 

 ruby-studded flower exults smilingly for a season or 

 two and then degenerates sadly. 



Madonna, if she be healthy on her coming, and is 

 given healthy soil free from hot taint of manure, will 



