174 BULBS AND TUBEROUS-ROOTED PLANTS. 



that any given color loses its beauty in proportion to the 

 increase of its quantity. As an example, we do not 

 think there is a more beautiful form in the garden than 

 the Tigrinum, when properly grown; neither do we 

 think there is a color more showy or pleasing than that 

 of its flowers, and, if rare, none would be more eagerly 

 sought. Yet this plant is usually regarded as a weed. 

 The limit of perfection with the Lily, as with many other 

 plants, is to give it all the attention necessary, both in 

 place and cultivation, to enable it to reach that perfec- 

 tion which marks its growth, unaided, in its own habitat. 

 Any change of color, or form, from the original, disturbs 

 that harmony of arrangement necessary to the highest 

 development of beauty. 



Cultivation of the Lily. Many amateurs and 

 professional gardeners experience considerable difficulty 

 in cultivating the more valuable varieties, which include 

 many of those of recent introduction, and, notwithstand- 

 ing that seemingly every precaution is taken to protect 

 and secure them from injury during the winter season, 

 it is found that very many perish ; and others, though 

 preserved alive, are maintained in such a sickly condi- 

 tion that they never yield a perfect flower. It is but 

 natural to suppose that for these injurious effects there 

 must be an exciting, vital cause. This we have long 

 and patiently sought for, and will explicitly give the 

 results of our investigation as briefly as possible; and 

 having shown the cause of failure, the remedy will be 

 obvious. 



Lilies are not Hardy. The principal cause of 

 failure in cultivating Lilies lies in over-estimating their 

 hardiness, their power to endure the rigors of the winter. 

 It is the general opinion of those authorized to speak for 

 the Lily, that, with but few exceptions, the species are 

 perfectly hardy in a temperate climate. This opinion, 

 which is supposed to be correct, finds its way into the 



