AND THEIR CULTURE. 213 



cultivator ; (c) to Dunedin (whoever lie may be) for his "Fallacies," for 

 though I cannot agree with all his remarks, and though I think he is 

 often inclined to push his conclusions a great deal too far, cultivators 

 must all feel greatly obliged to him for turning the light of his lamp on 

 their practices, and compelling them to look at their doings through 

 his spectacles, the result of which must be to make them walk more 

 warily, to observe more closely, and get more correct views of Bulb 

 life and reproduction ; (d) to numerous Foreign Correspondents who 

 have favoured me with so much highly valuable information as to the 

 growth of Lilies in their native haunts, and the modes of cultivation 

 practised in distant climes the letters on Californiaii and Himalayan 

 Lilies being especially valuable to us stay-at-home people ; (e) also to 

 Dr. Masters and Mr. W. Robinson, the respective Editors of the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle and the Garden, for their kind permission to 

 use many woodcuts, and to reprint various valuable communications. 



Lastly, kind reader, excuse the many faults and omissions of this 

 little work, most especially the unworthiness of many of the woodcuts 

 to represent some of the most beautiful flowers in creation take for 

 example those of L. Szovitzianum, Excelsiim, Candidum, &c. ; to my 

 mind most meagre and poor caricatures of the reality (stout tall stems, 

 adorned with numerous flowers, fine, perfect, and symmetrical), as 

 grown in full beauty by many a cultivator. Yet it is not easy, in 

 the limited space at hand, to pourtray on paper, so as to convey an 

 accurate idea, a Lily stem with numerous flowers ; and it is more to 

 the purpose faithfully to outline a stem, foliage, and two or three 

 flowers, so that the chief characteristics are truthfully preserved, than 

 to give a blurred heavy mass of foliage and flowers, beautiful perhaps 

 as a whole, but too indistinct for precise identification. 



If, reader, you have patiently borne with me thus far, one word of 

 advice more before we part. Cultivate Lilies for their purity, grace- 

 fulness, and because they so abundantly reward the patience of the 

 persevering cultivator with ever-increasing stateliness of form, and 

 luxuriance of growth ; and may this little work help you to enjoy 

 to your complete satisfaction the fruits of your labour. 



" In tenui labor, at tenuis non gloria, si," 

 "ridet Fortuna." 



