AND THEIR CULTUKE. 27 



these, and have no green leaves at all, or at best a poor apology for them ; 

 and so of numberless others. 



What lesson do such facts teach ? Surely that the cultivator should 

 imitate nature in her best aspects, and it is by no means difficult to 

 exceed even her highest standard. Bulbous plants form no exception. 

 It would, indeed, be folly to fold one's hands at the very first failure ; for 

 with what delight do we behold one joyously filling up the full measure of 

 its glory ! In the loose soils in which we usually place our bulbs are they 

 as well situated as in their native matrix ? The soil then must needs be 

 packed firmly* and uniformly. It is the life- struggles with difficulties 

 that bring out the best qualities of the man the fruits and flowers, roots 

 and bulbs born of the great mother. Resistance above reacts below, 

 gives spread, depth, and vigour in the direction of least resistance. The 

 root the strong foundation is of the first consideration in all structural 

 building, and should be well laid, cherished, and preserved. We do not 

 say it should be founded upon some suitable rock, but we sometimes think 

 so ; radiated heat and graduated temperature, sweetness of drainage, and 

 (it would seem reasonable) that in due time some resistance from below, 

 also, are all requisites of high culture. May not the cultivator, in his 

 undue solicitude, be also to blame, and by some shortcoming fail, or from 

 excess undo by overdoing ? Suppose he flood too continuously between 

 loose scales, adding excessive heat withal, ought he not to expect just the 

 result urged ? Now, we seldom see in nature bulbs which are sheltered 

 by shrubs, rocks, logs, bark, leaves, &c., or those in very compact soils, 

 rotten at the tips of the scales, and hence a lure to maggots and grubs ; 

 nor often in such sandy and gravelly soils as readily absorb, drain, and 

 disperse any excess of top moisture. We appeal to the observations of 

 careful collectors. Let us, then, copy the best conditions, and we feel 

 assured the result will confirm our rather hasty hints. 



" In conclusion, we dare not presume that even a tithe of what we 

 ought to say has been noted, in short, we have confined ourselves only to 

 what may be considered peculiar to climatic conditions. Erudite and 

 complex recipes relative to proper mixtures of soils, and common manage- 

 ment may well be left to the knowledge and judgment of those who 

 believe in them. With such a wealth of sunlight and heat above as falls- 

 to the lot of California, and no lack of the necessary medium moisture below, 

 I see no reason why we may not allow nature, under human hands, to 

 grow her magnificent white Lady Washington Lily 6 or 7 feet high, with 

 ten to thirty or more flowers, just as we see it wild. L. Humboldtii, too, 

 is a perfect giant among Lilies, when at its best making a right super- 

 royal display. Even our little orange L. Parvum-f I found at the Sierra 

 summit over 5 feet high, and bearing fifty flowers, carefully counted, but 

 the plant was sheltered and shaded by an old emigrant water tank stilted 

 up, now dry, and long ago abandoned, but its roots found a fair supply of 

 water from beneath." The Garden, Jan. 4, 1873. 



* We are not advocates for packing soil closely round a bulb, we believe that this is 

 very prejudicial. 



t We have seen this most graceful Lily both at Kew and in our own garden with: 

 stems 5 ft. high. 



