146 FAMILIAR GARD.EX FLOWERS. 



any except enlightened enthusiasts, and amongst those the 

 best chance of success will be by fate allotted to such as 

 have the longest purses. It was the way of Auratum, the 

 golden-rayed lily of Japan, when the bulbs were worth from 

 one to five guineas each, to die ignominiously instead of 

 gladdening with its magnificent flowers the devotee who 

 had bled for it. Now that it is cheap it lives, and the reason 

 is that we have learned to manage it both as to the buying 

 and the planting ; for lilies have soft bulbs, and if exposed 

 to the exhaustive action of the air for any length of time 

 are apt to resent the ill-treatment by shuffling off their 

 mortal coil. 



Certain of the lilies are not only deserving of a place, 

 but are very much to be desired in every garden. The best 

 for the borders and shrubberies are the Common White 

 (L. can.didnm), the Orange (L. bulbiferum), the Canadian 

 (L. Canadense), the Scarlet Martagon (L. chalcedonicum) , 

 the Turk's-cap (L. martagon), the Tiger (L. tigrimim), the 

 Turban, or Yellow Martagon (L. pomponiutn), here figured, 

 and Thunberg's (L. Thnnbergiamini). All these thrive in good 

 loamy soil ; they are rather injured than benefited by the 

 addition to the soil of strong manures, but rotted turf and 

 leaf mould are of great service when added to a loamy 

 staple, when the beds are prepared for them. 



The sorts that thrive best in peat, and, therefore, 

 are admirably adapted for planting in the front of rhodo- 

 dendron beds, are the Golden-rayed (L. avratnm), the 

 Carolina (L. Carolinianum] , the Japan (L. Japonicuw] , the 

 American L. superbnm), the Spotted (L. speeioswm), and 

 the Long-flowered (L. longifloriim). These constitute a 

 fine collection, and all are hardy enough for open ground 

 cultivation in the warmer parts of the British Isles, 



