208 NOTES ON LILIES 



of tannin ; but a second consignment from the same hand, packed 

 in pine sawdust, finer in character, heated on the journey, and many 

 of the bulbs were destroyed, the contents being quite hot when 

 turned out. 



Packing cases should be made of wood 1 inch thick. Cases 2 to 3 

 feet long by 12 to 18 inches wide and 12 to 16 inches deep, are 

 preferred by Japanese packers, and will hold from 200 to 250 

 Auratum bulbs of moderate size; packed in balls of clay, they of 

 course require a larger space. 



It is a good plan to line the joints inside with paper, so as to 

 prevent leakage, tier after tier of bulbs is then put in, and dry 

 <earth (or some other medium) poured in between, and the box well 

 fiammered to settle the earth thoroughly and tightly, it being a 

 matter of great importance that there should be no empty space 

 tinside to allow of the bulbs shaking about and getting bruised: bulbs 

 o packed will travel in safety for from two to two and a half months. 

 If, however, one bulb be bad inside when packed, it will not only 

 soon rot, but will affect the others, and in this way the whole contents 

 on arrival may be a stinking rotten mass. Thus, during the season 

 aat Messrs. Stevens, Covent Garden, thousands of Auratum are 

 frequently unpacked rotten, at a great loss to the importers. It is 

 of importance at the end of a journey that not a day should be lost 

 in opening the boxes and separating the sound bulbs; similarly it is 

 important and even economical to choose the quickest route when 

 forwarding bulbs, even if it be at first sight more expensive, since 

 ?after two months, every day added to the length of the journey, 

 deteriorates the bulbs and increases the number of diseased ones. 

 In sending over new or unknown sorts, it is very desirable to send a 

 drawing or dried flower by post, as a guide to the determination of 

 the species. Lilies should be sent off as soon as possible after their 

 stems have died down, and the bulbs are ripened. If bulbs have 

 begun to grow before packing, there is great risk in sending them ; 

 better wait if possible another season. 



In sending more sorts than one in the same case, it is well not to 

 trust to partitions, as some of the Japanese packers do ; the partitions 

 often get shifted, and bulbs escape from one to another compartment. 

 It is far better to pack each sort in a separate box, with a label, and 

 enclose these separate boxes (slighter in build) in a large outer case. 

 Small sized bulbs, such as those of L. Concolor, Pulcliellum, &c., can be 

 safely sent long distances by post, packed in tin or wooden boxes, with 

 cocoa fibre or sphagnum, slightly moist; but, in this case, the Post 

 Office regulations, as to weight, stamps, &c., must be strictly adhered 

 to, and the sharp edges of the tin boxes protected by some kind of 

 cover, otherwise they may be refused by the Post Office authorities as 

 likely to damage the contents of their bags, and thus cause disap- 

 pointment. 



