The Day Lily of the Desert. 8^ 



of the present season, not only for its promise of furnishing us 

 with another lovely garden flower, but also for its probable eco- 

 nomic value in the arid regions of the west. It produces a large 

 edible bulb, varying from one to four inches in diameter, nearly 

 round, with firm flesh. The bulb has a pleasant taste, eaten 

 either raw or cooked like onions. Our party of seven have had 

 them cooked at nearly every meal since we first tested their quali- 

 ties, and in the lack of other vegetables find them acceptable. 



The bulb is found from six to eighteen inches below the sur- 

 face of the sand or fine gravelly soil, in which the plant thrives 

 best, and is usually found resting on moist gravel or a clay sub- 

 soil. 



It is not rare on the Colorado and Mohave deserts, and 

 usually blossoms on the Mohave in the month of May. Near the 

 boundary line it bloomed in 18S9 as early as February, and was 

 in seed in April, This year (1890) only a few plants are found 

 showing as yet any signs of a flower stem, but a few weeks of 

 warm weather will doubless bring them forward. 



The Indians are said to obtain both iood and drink from this 

 plant when crossing the plains. For eighty or a hundred miles 

 along our southern border one may travel at certain seasons with- 

 out finding water. The traveler, is safe, however, if he knows 

 how to search successfully for this important vegetable, and once 

 found he need not fear either hunger or thirst. 



Should it prove susceptible of easy cultivation in the arid 

 regions of the west, it will prove a valuable addition to our li.st of 

 vegetables. It will certainly prove a welcome addition to the gar- 

 den, if not an acquisition to the farm. C. R. Orcutt. 



CALIFORNIAN LILIES. 



(From the California Florist and Gardner, II, 66) 



Eight distinct species of lilies are natives of California, besides 

 varieties. They are Lilium Columbianum, L. Humboldtii, L. 

 pardalinum, L. parvum, L. Parryi, L. maritimum, L. Washing- 

 tonianum, and L. rubescens. No other country in the world is 

 so rich in these floral beauties, except Japan. Their range is 

 from the sea-coast of Mendocino county to the edge of perpetual 

 snow in the Sierras. Old Shasta's sides are the home of several 

 species. I have found L. Humboldtii in the rich alluvium of the 

 upper Sacramento valley, and L. Parryi, one of the most beauti- 

 ful, is a native of the high mountains of San Bernardino and San 

 Diego counties. 



As a collector I have taken many thousands of the bulbs of 

 six of these species from their native homes, and I have grown 

 all but L. Parryi. In the soil in which they flourish and in the 

 manner of root growth they vary greatly. Briefly, it may be 

 said that L. maritimum, L. pardalinum, L. parvum and L. Par- 



