LILIES AND THEIR WHIMS 271 



On the other hand, if purchased in spring, unless the 

 bulbs have been wintered with the greatest care in 

 damp, not wet, peat moss, or sand, they become so 

 withered that their vitality is seriously impaired. 

 There are several dealers who make a specialty of 

 thus wintering lily bulbs, 1 and if you buy from one of 

 these, I advise spring planting. 



If, however, for any reason you wish to finish your 

 bed this fall, after planting and covering each bulb, 

 press a four or five inch flower-pot lightly into the 

 soil above it. This will act as a partial watershed 

 to keep the drip of rain or snow water from settling in 

 the crown of the bulb and decaying the bud. Or if 

 you have plenty of old boards about the place, they 

 may be put on the bed and slightly raised in the centre, 

 like a pitched roof, so as to form a more complete water- 

 shed, and the winter covering of leaves, salt, hay, or 

 litter, free of manure, can be built upon this. Cro- 

 cuses, snowdrops, and scillas make a charming border 

 for a lily bed and may be also put between the lilies 

 themselves to lend colour early in the season. 



To cover your bed thoroughly, so that it will keep 

 out cold and damp and not shut it in, is a must be of 

 successful lily culture. Have you ever tried to grow 



1 F. H. Horsford of Charlotte, Vt, is very reliable in this matter. 



