276 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Lily of the Valley continued. 



similar age and size to those first planted, and, conse- 

 quently, do not produce such large flowers. 



Forcing. Either home-grown or imported Berlin crowns 

 should be used for early forcing. They should be placed 

 rather thickly in pots or boxes, and a little light soil or 

 cocoa-nut fibre lightly shaken amongst the roots, but not 

 over the tops ; they should be covered with moss. Another 

 plan is to insert them similarly in propagating frames, 

 and pot np as they come into flower. The roots do not 

 grow during this period; consequently, it is immaterial 

 which method is adopted. Plunge in a bottom heat of 

 about 85deg., and, if possible, maintain a surface tempera- 

 ture of lOdeg. less. This encourages the production of 

 leaves and flowers at the same time conditions not readily 

 obtained with the earlier supplies. If pots or boxes are used, 

 empty ones of a similar size may be inverted over them, 

 to keep the crowns in a darkened position. This is 

 considered beneficial in assisting to start them into 

 growth. When close frames are used, similar conditions 

 may be secured by covering the sashes, so as to exclude 

 light. It is important that the soil be placed as 

 lightly as possible round the roots, in order that the heat 

 may pass readily through it. Water, of the same tem- 

 perature, should be given often enough to keep the whole 

 well moistened. Bottom heat from an inclosed water 

 tank, with pipes lying in it, is always more evenly distri- 

 buted, and not of such a drying nature as when the pipes 

 are amongst the plunging or draining material. The very 

 earliest batch not unfrequently fails ; but if the crowns are 

 good, and proper attention is given in forcing, each of the 

 later ones may generally be relied upon to produce good 

 flowers. ATI excellent plan for obtaining leaves is to put 

 in a few ordinary small crowns along with the larger ones. 

 Clumps are forced in quantity later in the season ; some 

 of them, if well ripened, may be utilised at any season, 

 where the purchasing or home cultivation of single crowns 

 is impracticable. Lilies of the Valley, severely forced, are 

 not of much further use ; plants only gradually forwarded 

 in spring, if put in the open ground after flowering, will 

 recruit their strength again by the second year. 



Varieties. Besides the typical plant so largely grown 

 under the familiar name of Lily of the Valley, there are 

 a few varieties, not, however, possessing any particular 

 merit. A larger-growing form is known as major, and a 

 rose-coloured variety is sometimes termed rubra. The 

 variety with double flowers is not worth cultivating. There 

 is a very ornamental form with golden- variegated leaves, 

 which are attractive when the markings are well deve- 

 loped. 



LILY THORN. See Catesbsea. 



LIMATODES. Included under Phaius (which see). 



LIMAX. See Slugs. 



LIMB. The flat expanded part of a petal. 



LIME. The application of Lime as a manure to 

 certain soils has long been practised, and has been 

 attended with excellent results, in rendering them pro- 

 ductive, and bringing, by its chemical action, the com- 

 ponent parts into a proper condition for being absorbed 

 by the roots of plants. Lime is not naturally found in 

 a free state, but is plentiful in combination with carbonic 

 acid, forming what is termed Carbonate of Lime. In 

 the process of burning usually adopted, the carbonic acid 

 is driven off, and the substance left (Quicklime) has a 

 powerful affinity for water, either for absorbing it rapidly 

 when placed in contact, or more slowly from the atmo- 

 sphere. Quicklime is extremely caustic, and possesses 

 the power of decomposing animal and vegetable sub- 

 stances ; hence its fertilising value on soils containing a 

 large quantity of inert vegetable matter, such as recently 

 broken-up grass land, or that where there is a 

 quantity of peat, consisting of roots and fibres, that 

 would otherwise long remain in an undecomposed state. 



Lime continued. 



Lindley, in his " Theory of Horticulture," states that 

 "when this substance (Lime) is mixed with decaying 

 matter, it hastens its decomposition, and renders it more 

 easily assimilable by plants. This is its chief horticul- 

 tural value, if regarded as a manure. In old cultivated 

 land, rich in humus, it suddenly increases productive- 

 ness in a remarkable degree; increasing the properties 

 of dormant animal or vegetable manure. Hence it has 

 a most important effect in kitchen gardens. But Limed 

 land soon loses its productiveness unless manure is sub- 

 sequently applied, and poor soils are soon run out by it. 

 To some plants, such as many Conifers, it is injurious; 

 to others it appears to be an indispensable article of 

 food, such as Potatoes, Sainfoin, Barley, Beetroot, Peas, 

 Clover, &c." Although Lime itself is thus apparently 

 a necessary element in the food of many plants, it is more 

 especially valuable in soils by rendering other constituents 

 soluble, and reducing them to a state in which they may 

 be absorbed and assimilated. In applying Lime to any 

 land, some caution is necessary, as it possesses the im- 

 portant property of expelling or setting free ammonia, 

 one of the indispensable constituents of plant-food. 

 Where farmyard manure has long been used, a light ap- 

 plication of Lime may be of great advantage in hasten- 

 ing decomposition ; while, on the other hand, soils which 

 contain but a small amount of organic or vegetable 

 matter, might, by similar dressings, become exhausted. 

 Peat and clay soils, or those recently broken up after 

 forming grass-land, are acted upon most beneficially by 

 Lime, the effect produced depending greatly on the 

 amount of organic matter contained in each. It should 

 be applied as a top-dressing, or be well incorporated 

 near the surface of the soil. One of the best methods 

 is to form a compost of spare earth, weeds, or organic 

 refuse of any description, for spreading over the ground, 

 and mix a large proportion of Lime with it. The 

 latter substance contributes its own fertilising effects 

 to the mixture, and, at the same time, exerts its in- 

 fluence in many other ways. The application of Lime 

 has been recommended, in some cases, to the extent of 

 200 bushels to an acre ; but a quarter or half of this 

 quantity will, perhaps, in the majority of instances, be 

 sufficient to effect the desired purpose. An experiment 

 should be made wibh a small portion of ground, in the 

 first place, and, if the results prove favourable and 

 marked, a larger portion might be treated under similar 

 or altered conditions, according to the amount of success 

 attained. The presence of Lime in the soil is very 

 hurtful to Ehododendrons, and many other hard-wooded 

 plants of a like nature, grown in the open air. It is 

 also most destructive to hard-wooded Cape and Australian 

 plants, cultivated in sandy-peat soil, under glass. Lime 

 being, to a certain extent, soluble in water, the use of 

 that which contains any large proportion should, if 

 possible, be avoided in the cultivation of all the plants 

 just referred to. Rain-water contains much less than 

 any other ; consequently, it should be preserved and 

 utilised to the fullest extent in preference to that obtained 

 from wells, springs, or other sources. 



LIME, CHLORIDE OF. See Chloride of Lime. 



LIME, SWEET. See Citrus Limetta. 



LIME-TREE. See Tilia. 



LIME, WEST INDIAN. See Citrus medica 

 acida. 



LIMNANTHE2E. A tribe of Geraniacece. 



LIMN ANTHE MUM (from limne, a marsh or pool, 

 and anthemon, a blossom ; referring to the natural habitat 

 of the species). Floating Heart. SYNS. Schweyckerta, 

 Waldschmidia. OBD. Gentianece. About two dozen spe- 

 cies have been referred to this genus ; these may pro- 

 bably be reduced to about ten. They are ornamental 

 aquatic plants, closely allied to Villarsia, widely dis- 



