THE BULB GARDEN 163 



each case, by new plantations. The bulbs of most 

 lilies consist of scales, and these scales if they 

 should be injured and drop off during planting, 

 for they are very brittle, ought to be carefully 

 gathered up, especially in the case of rare sorts, 

 and laid upon sand, for they give an easy method 

 of increase by soon forming small bulbils, which 

 should be planted in boxes and grown on until 

 they are large enough to be trusted in an outdoor 

 nursery bed. In the same way they might be 

 increased on a larger scale, though it would take 

 time and probably home-grown bulbs would gain 

 in strength and hardier constitution by acclima- 

 tion. These are but a few of the beautiful lilies 

 that might be named, but they are either still 

 scarce, or require special modes of treatment, and 

 therefore can hardly yet be reckoned amongst popu- 

 lar plants. As to the great tribe of bulbous plants, 

 counting lilies and narcissus and iris, which for 

 us make up its chief divisions, how would our gar- 

 dens fare if instead of being, for the most part, 

 denizens of the temperate zone, they had peopled 

 the tropics and refused to be happy out of doors 

 in our variable English climate? 



