102 



Gardening for Amateurs 



all cultivated plants, Lilies have their 

 diseases and enemies, the worst being those 

 of fungoid origin. The best-known is that 

 which attacks the Madonna Lily, and often 

 in certain localities to such an extent as 



How not to stake Lilies ; care should be taken 

 to insert the stick some distance from the 

 bulb. 



almost to exterminate this beautiful flower. 

 The scientific name of this fungus is Bo- 

 trytis cinerea. Various experiments have 

 been tried in order to destroy it, but fre- 

 quently with no very great measure of 

 success. The best results are, as a rule, 



obtained by spraying with Bordeaux mix- 

 ture. A free use of sulphur among the 

 bulbs, with removal to another part of 

 the garden, has also in some cases proved 

 successful. Japanese bulbs are sometimes 

 attacked by a fungus which causes the base 

 of the central scales to decay, though it is 

 at first often difficult to detect any ail- 

 ment. The name of this fungus is Rhizopus 

 necans. As its spores are present in the 

 bulb before it leaves Japan, a great mor- 

 tality is sometimes manifest when the bulbs 

 are unpacked in this country. 



Lilium auratum is liable to die off in an 

 unaccountable manner. Frequently a plant 

 will be in an apparently healthy state one 

 day, and the next the leaves will flag. 

 Then in a short time they, as well as the 

 flower buds, turn yellow and drop. Plants 

 in full sun are far more liable to be affected 

 in this way than those of which the lower 

 part of the stem is shaded. It is often, 

 and probably quite correctly, attributed to 

 sunstroke. 



The principal insect pest is aphis, or 

 green fly, to whose attacks Lilium longi- 

 florum under glass is particularly liable. 

 It can be readily destroyed by dipping the 

 stems and leaves in some insecticide or 

 vaporising with nicotine. Slugs are often a 

 nuisance, and must be sought for. Some of 

 them will feed on the young leaves, while 

 a small one, black above and yellowish 

 beneath, may make its way down to the 

 bulb, off which it feasts in no niggardly 

 fashion. Mice, and voles, too, especially 

 during a severe winter, often do a good 

 deal of underground damage before their 

 presence is suspected. 



Warm Water for Window Plants. 



We have often been asked to decide the cause 

 of ill-health of various window and green- 

 house plants which, after months of rude 

 health, have suddenly sickened and the edges 

 of the leaves have turned brown. Whilst it 

 is difficult to fix on the weak cultural spot 

 without knowing exactly how the plants 

 have been treated, it is certain that this 

 condition is often due to a chill brought 

 about by watering with water considerably 



colder than the atmosphere of the place in 

 which the plants are growing. Be careful, 

 then, especially during winter and spring, to 

 water indoor pot plants with water of about 

 the same temperature as the room or glass 

 house in which they are growing. To ensure 

 this many people arrange that the hot-water 

 pipes shall run through or under the water 

 tank ; this is a simple and expedient way 

 of overcoming a difficulty that confronts 

 many gardeners. 



