8o THE BOOK OF THE LILY 



this Lily can only be regarded as of annual duration, for 

 most of the bulbs either perish after flowering, or are so 

 weakened, that they seldom recover sufficiently to flower 

 again. The bulbs that can be relied on to flower are 

 those imported direct from Japan, reaching here at the 

 end or beginning of the year. 



L. longiflorum. This is undoubtedly the most popular 

 of all Lilies for pot culture, and is now grown for flower 

 markets in enormous quantities. The importations from 

 Japan reach here in October or November, and those 

 from Holland are received about the same time. Ber- 

 muda exports large quantities of the variety Harrisi, and 

 as the season there is much earlier than ours, the 

 dormant bulbs reach this country in August, and if 

 potted with little delay, they flower during the early 

 months of the new year. This Lily is also grown in 

 South Africa, and the bulbs from there usually arrive 

 about April, so even if potted as soon as received, they 

 are later in flowering than those grown out of doors. 



Retarded bulbs of this Lily can be grown to flower at 

 any season, and this practice is dealt with in a separate 

 chapter. 



Ordinary-sized bulbs of L. longtflorum need a five inch 

 pot, and three bulbs in a six, seven or eight inch pot, 

 according to the size of the bulbs. This Lily and its 

 varieties need a good open soil, with leaf mould or 

 decayed manure in addition. A top-dressing of rich soil 

 as the stem roots develop will be needed to obtain well- 

 grown plants. The bulbs of the variety Harrisi, potted 

 in August, may remain out of doors till the end of 

 September, when a good, light airy place in the green- 

 house or frame is best for them, as they enjoy light 

 and air. 



Japanese bulbs potted in October or November may 

 remain out of doors till December, unless the weather 

 is very severe. 



