THE AMARYLLIS AND SOME RELATIVES. 



==^ROM the time that, as a child, 

 =<\ I stood in wonder before my 

 mother's king lily, I have 

 loved the amaryllis. Not 

 until many years later did I learn that 

 the name of the king lily was Amaryllis 

 Johnsoni, and it was after many experi- 

 ments and repeated failures that I suc- 

 ceeded in the culture of these rich and 

 rare bulbs. I know of no specialty 

 which gives so much satisfaction at so 

 little labor as the amaryllis. I use a 

 very rich compost of well rotted manure, 

 black earth and sand. The large bulbs 

 are set in six inch pots, and smaller 

 bulbs in four-inch pots. Into the bottom 

 of each pot goes a handful of charcoal, 

 and then the mold. I set the bulbs so 

 that about one-fourth shows above the 

 soil ; then I water them and set them in 

 a warm, light place. A good bulb will 

 throw up leaves and flower stalk almost 

 at once ; some send up the flower stalk 

 first. As soon as they begin to grow 

 thriftily I set them in the sun and give 

 them plenty of water. New bulbs 

 planted in the spring will bloom about 

 August. After they have bloomed I 

 gradually dry them off and set them in 

 the cellar in the fall, to rest until 

 November. I have found this the great 

 secret, — the resting of the bulbs. When 

 I bring them up I give them sun, plenty 

 of water, and liquid fertilizer once a 

 week. They will bloom twice during 

 the winter for me, the last time about 

 April or May. Then I gradually dry 

 them off until in July they are put under 

 the rose bushes to rest. In the fall they 

 come into the house to bloom, and this 

 year were put into the cellar along in 

 March, — and so on, alternate rest and 

 vigor. I only repot once in two years, 

 but I give them much fertilizing and 

 water when they are growing. Some 



bulbs will throw up two stalks, each 

 bearing six flowers, and a grander sight 

 cannot be imagined. 



The familiar Johnsoni is a rich red, 

 with a white stripe. It is a good color, 

 but is small in size of flower and bulb. 

 It is almost universally called King Lily, 

 although it is by no means king of the 

 amaryllis tribe. Its mate is Amaryllis 

 Regina ; it has short, stubby leaves, in- 

 stead of the long ones of the king, and 

 the flowers are large, pale red with a 

 white centre. We call it Queen Lily. 

 The King, because of its richness of 

 color, rather kills the Queen if they 

 stand in bloom side by side. But alone, 

 Queen lily is beautiful. 



The Crinum ornatum is the real king 

 of amaryllis. It has a big bulb which 

 sets on top of the earth, with short, 

 fleshy leaves and snake like roots. It 

 will do well in the garden as a summer 

 bulb, but I treat it as a pot bulb. The 

 flowers are borne upon a stout stalk and 

 are very large and numerous. The 

 color is a lovely pink with a broad fiery 

 band of scarlet through each petal. A 

 grander lily can scarcely be imagined. 

 It is the grandeur of lilies which makes 

 them such favorites, and when you add 

 fragrance to them, such as Crinum 

 Moorei possesses, you have a wonderful 

 combination. This crinum is white 

 with a pink stripe, and very sweet. 



It is hard to select a favorite from the 

 amaryllis, but my A. aulica, which is a 

 rich deep red, almost black, is of such 

 magnificent size and rich coloring it 

 may well be termed a favorite. The 

 color is seen in no other flower. 



The Empress of India is the costliest 

 of all the amaryllis, but it repays its 

 cost. The flowers are enormous, of a 

 deep scarlet, banded with orange. It 

 is a royal plant without question. 



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