LILIUM AURATUM 21 



the mice. In this case or that of any other injury 

 the bulb is not necessarily the worse. Many Lihes 

 seem to accept such injury quite philosophically, and 

 devote the energy which has been checked above 

 ground to storing a year's additional strength in the 

 bulb, which will throw up a still finer flowering stem 

 next year. 



There are some very fine garden varieties of this 

 grand Lily. The one named Auratum platyphyllum 

 is of great size and vigour, the blooms handsomely 

 spotted, and sometimes as much as a foot across ; a 

 fine variety of this, C3\\td platyphyllum virginale, has a 

 yellow band in each division and pale yellow spots. 

 Rubro-vittatum has a red band to each petal, and 

 Wittei has a flower of great beauty, all white without 

 spots. 



Auratum is one of the Lilies that, in addition to the 

 roots that issue from the bulb, has other roots at the 

 base of the stem. It should therefore be planted 

 deeply, even as much as from six to ten inches, in 

 order to insure that the upper rooting system, which 

 nourishes the growing stem, should be well under- 

 ground. In addition to deep planting, a surface 

 mulching of rotten manure, to keep the ground cool 

 and give nutriment, and frequent watering, both to 

 supply moisture and to wash in the goodness of the 

 mulch, are desirable for the welfare of the plants. 



This fine Lily is handsome at a height of from six 

 to eight feet, though this is by no means the limit of 

 its stature. It bears from three to thirty flowers on a 

 stem, but is most beautiful when the number of blooms 



