AND THEIE CULTURE. 



No. 1. 1868 



1869 



1870 

 No. 2. 1868 



1869 



1870 

 No. 5. 1866 



spikes 9 flowers 

 10 

 33 

 13 

 23 

 75 



flowers 



The remaining roots did not succeed well ; bulbs were not increased to a 

 large extent, and not more than one or two flowers were borne on a spike. 

 No. 1 had flower-spikes 10 feet in height, and the largest number of 

 flowers on a spike was thirty-five. Some of the varieties do not grow 

 more than from 2 to 3 feet in height, and have the finest individual 

 flowers. 



"Nearly all the Lily tribe are of easy culture, and Auratum is no 

 exception to this rule. October is a good month to repot the bulbs ; it is 

 not advisable to dry them off, as is done with Hyacinths, Tulips, and 

 other bulbs. Water ought to be administered sparingly previous to 

 potting, and as soon as the leaves assume a yellow tinge the stalks may 

 be cut over and the bulbs potted. In potting, some cultivators disturb 

 the bulbs as little as possible, merely scratching away the loose soil with 

 a pointed stick, and repotting in a pot a size larger ; 1 consider it best to 

 shake the soil entirely from the roots, separating each bulb, and saving 

 the fresh roots as much as possible. As many as a dozen bulbs are 

 planted in a 13-inch pot, three of the larger bulbs are placed in the 

 centre, and the remainder round the inside of the rim. I find they 

 succeed well in a compost of three parts of turfy loam and one part of 

 leaf mould and rotted manure, with a portion of silver sand to keep the 

 material open. 



" If the compost in which the bulbs are potted is somewhat moist, no 

 watering will be required. The pots ought to be plunged in a cold frame, 

 and I do not know of anything better for this purpose than cocoa-nut 

 fibre refuse ; and if the pots are completely buried in it, so that there is 

 at least 4 inches of the fibre over the surface of the soil, there will be 

 no danger of the bulbs being injured by frost. The lights ought to be 

 kept off the frame, except during severe frost and drenching rains. The 

 bulbs will continue to make roots all the winter. The cocoa-nut fibre 

 refuse ought to be removed from the surface of the pots in March, and if 

 the bulbs are doing well roots will be found pushing upwards into it. 

 The plants ought to remain in the cold frame until May, when they can 

 be placed on a hard bottom in a sheltered position out-of-doors until the 

 flowers begin to open, when they must be removed to the greenhouse or 

 sitting room. Manure water may be occasionally administered to them, 

 but they will do well without it ; of course if they are wanted for 

 exhibition or any other special purpose, extra care must be bestowed upon 

 them. If they have to be removed any distance when in flower, the anthers 

 ought to be wrapped round with tissue paper,* in order that the dark 



* Thin silky Japanese papdr, or a filmy web of cotton-wool, will answer the purpose 

 equally well. 



