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BIBLICAL LILY 



RANKS AMONG BEST 



Thought to be the lily of the Bible, Lilium candidiuu has niany sobri- 

 quets, such as Madonna, Annunciation, or St. Joseph's lily. Magnificent 

 in the garden and usefid to the florist, this lily deserves the praise it, rtceivcs 

 from this writer, who grows it splendidly. 



IJLH8 of the cvci'-popiibir 

 Madouna lily, Lilium e;ui- 

 (lidum, usually arrive iu 

 America <luriiif^ Septem- 

 ber. The crop in the north 

 of France is reported this 

 year to be small and the 

 bulbs, owing to the pro- 

 longed Kurojiean drought, 

 smaller than for some 

 years. While there can bo no doubt 

 that this is the purest and most beauti- 

 ful of all our hardy garden lilies, every- 

 one does not succeed with it, and this 

 article is i)enned with the intention of 

 assisting some who may have failed 

 with it and, perhaps, have become dis- 

 couraged. 



As L. candidum matures its bulbs 

 early and commences quickly to make 

 a circle of new leaves, it must be 

 planted as soon as possible after being 

 received. Not infrequently the bulbs 



By W. N. CRAIG. 



will bo found with both roots and leaves 

 on them. In such cases, if the ground 

 for them is not ready, they should bo 

 jilaced at once in 4-inch or o-inch pots of 

 sandy loam and stood in a coldframe, 

 when^ they can be protected from 

 (IreiU'hing rains until established. The 

 plants can, if necessary, be carried over 

 winter in pots in a cold, unheated cel- 

 lar, but they should bo kept outdoors 

 until they have had several freezings. 

 They should be planted out in spring 

 as soon as the ground is free from frost 

 and workable. 



Planting the Bulbs. 



Where the ground is ready for the re- 

 ception of bulbs in the fall, plant them 

 immediately on arrival, to an average 

 depth of four inches. I'ut a layer of 

 broken charcoal below them; over this 



si)read some coarse sand and cover the 

 bulbs with sand. liOt no fresh manure 

 come near them. If you want to use 

 manure, spread it on the surface and let 

 the Juices leach down. Used thus, 

 manure is distinctly beneficial, while 

 incor[)orated in the soil it would be 

 harmful. 



An excellent way for those having 

 greenhouse facilities to grow Lilium 

 I'undidum is to plant a number of bulbs 

 in 10-inch or 12-inch pots or small tubs. 

 I have useil tubs up to fourteen inches 

 in diameter, each containing a dozen 

 bulbs. As some of the larger bulbs will 

 throw two spikes each, such tubs make 

 a magnificent show when in flower. 

 Some years ago I was able not infre- 

 quently to get thirteen to fifteen flow- 

 ers on the best stalks, but of late few 

 carry more than eight or ten. These, 

 however, when grown as suggested in 

 a cool greenhouse, will attain a height 



