210 NOTES ON LILIES 



every week some of them rotted, he wrote to tell us when the last 

 *was gone." Not knowing better then, we replaced the bulbs, but now 

 we know that they were bound to rot under such treatment. Im- 

 ported Lilies must be planted as soon as possible ; if, owing to frost or 

 wet weather, the ground is not in a fit state for planting, they must 

 either be coated with mud, or kept covered in soil in a box, till they 

 <can be planted ; air must not be allowed access to them, to dry them, 

 or to permit the development of fungus. 



It must not be forgotten that in collecting bulbs for packing and 

 -exportation their scales are more or less bruised, thus readily per- 

 mitting the invasion of fungus germs ; furthermore, that in all 

 probability the collected bulbs will be massed in a heap in some out- 

 buildings ; that in Japan the packing for Europe is made a regular 

 business of, and certain firms every year pack and send thousands of 

 bulbs over to Europe and elsewhere, consequently bulbs coming in 

 from the interior some miles, will be first jolted and bruised in the 

 country carts, and then shot down in masses to wait their turn to be 

 packed, and that this process goes on year after year in the same 

 warehouses. What wonder, then, that fungus germs are rife on 

 these premises. 



Dunedin's remarks on this point fully coincide with my own 

 suspicions. 



" In my opinion the cause of so much loss in imported Lily bulbs is a 

 parasitic fungus, constituting a kind of mould of foreign origin, of a most 

 destructive character, and hereditary, descending from parents to offspring. 

 'The minute microscopic root-like filaments of the mould-like fungus that 

 I have observed, insinuate themselves into the epidermis of the bulb, and, 

 acting as parasites, draw nourishment from its tissues, and ultimately 

 poison the plant. The minute germs of this fungus are dispersed every- 

 where throughout the atmosphere, and are ready to alight on any sub- 

 stance in which they can find a nidus. The tender scarf skin of the Lily 

 bulb, freshly lifted out of the soil, is particularly favourable to their 

 growth." Garden, vol. 13, p. 142. 



If, then, we are correct in attributing to a virulent fungus this rot 

 of imported Lily bulbs we need not be slow in applying a remedy. 

 The process of Antiseptic Surgery recently introduced by Professor 

 Lister, with such remarkably favourable results, can easily be applied 

 to the preservation of bulb life. This process consists in preventing 

 the access of all poisonous and ferment germs (which are microscopic 

 in their nature) to recent wounds, by, (1) washing in a solution of 

 carbolic acid, of the strength of one part of acid to forty parts of 

 water, all instruments, ligatures, &c., employed, likewise the hands 

 of the operator ; (2) in directing a current of spray of a similar solu- 

 tion during the whole of the operation over the part operated upon ; 

 and (3rdly) in covering the wound afterwards with lint, cotton wool, 

 or gauze steeped in a similar solution, it being found impossible that 



