THE WHITE LILY. 15 



the Christian faith, for. notwithstanding- the comprehensive 

 meaning- of the word as it comes to us in the text, it has been, 

 as a matter of fact, generally restricted to a particular flower. 

 This dedication of the lily to the Virgin has certainly con- 

 tributed in a very material degree to the diffusion and 

 popularity of the plant ; and the traveller in Ireland will, in 

 the season of lilies, soon learn to distinguish the houses of 

 Romanists and Protestants by the lilies in the gardens, for 

 while the first plant the white lily as an emblem of their 

 faith, the second plant the orange lily for a similar purpose, 

 although the last is in reality much more of a political than 

 a religious emblem. 



The white lily will thrive in any fairly good soil, but to 

 ensure a free growth and an abundance of flowers the soil 

 should be rich and deep and moist. It is a good practice, 

 therefore, to prepare for the plants suitable stations, and, 

 having planted them, the next best thing to do with them 

 is to leave them undisturbed for several years. It is often 

 thought that lilies love the shade, but that is a mistake ; 

 they love the sun and a free circulation of air about them. 

 In cold and exposed places the white lily often fails to 

 flower, owing to the destruction of the incipient flower-buds 

 by frost, in the month of May. Hence shelter from the 

 keen east winds is an aid in lily culture, as is also a plentiful 

 supply of water during the month of June, when the stems 

 are rising. In respect of taste, the white lily should be so 

 planted that its shabby stems may be concealed, for when 

 wild it grows amongst tall grasses, and hence it is that as 

 the flowers expand the leaves below them usually wither. 

 The dashing Tritoma and the quiet Agapanthus are good 

 plants to associate with lilies, for they agree in character, 

 and supply ample and elegant green leafage. 



