88 BULBOUS PLANTS. 



Preparing Bulbs for Potting— If, as is frequently the case, the bulbs on 

 arrival are a trifle shrivelled, do not pot them immediately, as they are 

 apt to get a set-back by so doing. The treatment they get should be 

 directed to restore the bulb as soon as possible to that condition in 

 w^hich it was when taken from the soil. This can be done in the follow- 

 ing manner much more quickly and with better results than when potted 

 immediately into soil. A cool, moist propagating house is an ideal 

 place for the operation. Place the bulbs as close together as they will 

 go in the moderately wet sand. They may be either covered with sand 

 for a day or two, without wetting, or covered with papers during the 

 driest and hottest part of the day, until they get plump and fresh-look- 

 ing, taking care that they be potted just before the roots break through, 

 for if potting be done after the roots make their appearance more harm 

 than good will result. Soil should be used which contains enough mois- 

 ture, so that on first watering it will not be necessary to give a very 

 large dose. The pots used should be large enough to accommodate the 

 bulb and no more. A later shifting should be given as the plants require 

 it. A mass of roots will be developed just above the pot when consider- 

 able growth has been made; these when covered with soil in the second 

 potting will be found to be valuable feeding roots. 



L. Speciosum — At the season when Roses and Carnations are 

 scarce, both in and out of the greenhouse, a grand substitute may be 

 found in the Japanese lily, Lilium speciosum. It is one of the best, if 

 not the very best, so far as graceful structure of flower is concerned, 

 being far ahead of the popular variety of L.. longiflorum in this respect. 

 L. speciosum was introduced from Japan over GO years ago; it was 

 then erroneously called Lilium lancifolium, a name which still sticks to 

 it in many places. It may be stated for guidance in the cultivation of 

 this Lily that it is perfectly hardy here in well-drained light soil, that 

 is, on raised rock-work; but unless the bulbs are lifted at intervals of 

 two years and immediately replanted in freshly worked soil, with 

 manure added, they get smaller and smaller, ultimately dying from 

 starvation. For pot cultivation and to bloom early in Summer Lilium 

 speciosum it is one of the easiest to manage, but less trouble will 

 be experienced by planting out in raised beds, giving the necessary 

 protection from severe and late frosts in localities where those con- 

 ditions exist. The species is extremely variable in form and color of 

 flower, color of stems, fohage, buds, and even in the anthers. Among 

 the whites, L. s. Kraetzeri, imported direct from Japan, is one of the 

 finest. This variety has greenish stripes down each of the six divisions 

 of the flower; the anthers are brown. L. s. album-novum has larger 

 flowers, with bright yellow anthers. L. s. album, grown in Europe, 

 gradually becomes tinged with pink. L. s. punctatum has white flowers 

 dotted with pink. The principal pink or carmine forms are L. roseum 

 rubrum; others are Lihums Schrymakersi, cruentum, purpureum, pur- 

 puratum, magniflcum and superbum. The natural period for blooming 

 outside, according to locality, is from the end of July till September. A 

 variety called L. Melpomene, which sometimes gets to be 6 feet high, 

 was raised by the late Mr. Hovey, of Boston, many years ago. It was 



