August 15, 1S72. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



127 



fore not be valued for its own qualities, unless for pickling, 

 there is probably scarcely any other which can excel this in 

 effectiveness when planted in masses, if the different colours 

 be harmoniously blended together. As seen here from a 

 redoubt, peeping through the trees from the top of an eminence, 

 these flowers appear most charming. Besides Nasturtiums, 

 there were here also a quantity of Antirrhinums, but these 

 were thrown most completely into the shade by their more 

 gaily-attired associates. 



Crossing over the road I came to the fourth of Mr. Benary's 

 fields in this quarter. It is much larger than any of those 

 which have hitherto been described, and was chiefly occupied 

 in the upper part by different kinds of Larkspurs, and a 

 purplish red variety of Senecio. In the lower part was a con- 

 siderable amount of Dianthus Heddewigii (of which Mr. 

 Benary, as he has given particular attention in this matter, 

 supposes himself to have the finest stock), Marvels of Peru, 

 Godetias, Antirrhinums, and Dianthus diadematus. 



Of the remainder of Mr. Benary's fields I must speak here- 

 after. 



In closing I would remark, that if the purposes for which 

 the cultivation of flowers is carried to such a high extent are 

 effected anywhere, it is here in Erfurt. Although not laid out 

 with all the taste displayed in the finest of our English gar- 

 dens, in the midst of neatly trimmed lawns, or along the 

 borders of gracefully-winding, well-gravelled walks, they never- 

 theless fulfil in a somewhat wilder but not less charming 

 manner the purpose for which they are intended. As seen 

 from the tower of the cathedral, breaking forth here and there 

 from among the surrounding underwood and groups of trees, 

 the full force of their great beauty as appendages to natural 

 scenery when thus grown strikes the beholder at once. I feel 

 almost inclined to say, Give me instead of the formal neatness 

 of a highly-kept pleasure garden, the wild luxuriance of the 

 grounds in the environs of Erfurt as they appear between the 

 end of June and the beginning of August. In this sentiment 

 I should find ardent supporters in the bees, which revel 

 within each bell of the numerous Foxgloves, and among the 

 other flowers of these Flora-favoured plains. — Robin. 



LILIUM AUBATUM. 



As but little mention has been made the present summer of 

 the merits of the various species of Lilium that were intro- 

 duced in quantities from countries widely apart, the inference 

 to be drawn would be that none of them exceed in beauty some 

 that we already possess. In alluding to this I do not by any 

 means wish to detract from the merits of any of the new 

 kinds, but as those which have come through my hands have 

 only presented botanical rather than floral claims to distinc- 

 tion, I fear the mass of growers will be disposed to fall back 

 on old well-known species of unquestionable merit when they 

 have only the means of growing a few. As the culture of 

 these is a much easier matter than is often supposed, I venture 

 to refer to one such species that has flowered' here in great 

 perfection without any especial attention being bestowed upon 

 it : in fact, it has flowered well without being assisted in 

 any way whatever, unless the aid of a stake be accepted as a 

 help to cultivation. 



The advent of Liliuni auratum created no little sensation 

 among plant-growers, and very high prices were quickly ex- 

 changed for low ones, as the importation of large quantities 

 of bulbs was met by a doubt of their genuineness, which 

 rendered buyers cautious, but the fact of their being the Lily 

 represented being confirmed by their flowering, the next year's 

 importations were more eagerly bought up ; and as the losses 

 from bulbs dying off have always insured a sale, fresh con- 

 signments from Japan have been made every year without in 

 any way diminishing the demand. Of this the large quantity 

 passing through the hands of an eminent London auctioneer 

 last winter is a proof. 



Certainly there is no Lily yet discovered, to be compared to 

 a fine head of Lilium auratum. As the best way to secure 

 such fine heads is also both the easiest and safest mode of cul- 

 tivation, I have no hesitation in at once recommending the 

 bulbs to be planted out in an open bed, or, what is better, in 

 the spaces between shrubs, where the young shoots can have a 

 little shelter from late spring frosts, for in such places there 

 is less danger of the bulbs being lost than when confined in 

 pots. I am the more convinced of this from having planted 

 out some bulbs several years ago — in fact, soon after they were 

 to be had in quantity, and they have thriven better on the 



whole than those retained in pots. In point of hardiness, I 

 regard this species as more capable of enduring a severe winter 

 than L. lancrfolium and its varieties, for I have lost some of 

 the latter, while in most instances L. auratum continues to 

 improve. 



That this is the case is confirmed by a plant which is in full 

 flower at the time I write (August 5th). There are upwards 

 of one hundred fully-expanded flowers on one stem, with some 

 more in bud, the total number as carefully counted before 

 being expanded being 111. The stem is 7 feet 6 inches high, 

 round and smooth for about one-half of its height, when it 

 assumes a flattened form, and it is thickly set with leaves 

 from about 2 feet from the ground up to the commencement of 

 the flower-spike, which is limited to about 20 inches of the 

 top. The flowers are on the two sides of the flattened stem, 

 but have, nevertheless, spread in the opening, so as to quite 

 meet and close up around one of the edges (that facing the 

 sun), but there is a slight opening on the other side, otherwise 

 the mass of flower would resemble a blunted cone of about 

 18 inches diameter at bottom, and more than that high. I 

 need hardly add that the flowers are too much crowded to 

 allow of then- being fully expanded, and half the number 

 would probably have looked as well. The occurrence of 111 

 blooms on a single spike is certainly uncommon, and I should 

 like to know if the number has been exceeded. The girth of 

 the stem at about 2 feet from the ground, where it is round 

 and smooth, is 3A inches, and the stem had attained its full 

 height before it was staked, but the certainty of its leaning to 

 one side, or, perhaps, breaking off at the collar, rendered it ad- 

 visable to afford it a support. The situation in which the plant 

 is growing is dry and sheltered, but the soil, instead of being 

 rich and nutritious, would seem to have been robbed of every 

 thing it once contained. Nearly thirty years ago a bed for 

 Rhododendrons was made ; in it leaf mould and other sub- 

 stances were mixed with peat, and for a year or two the Rho- 

 dodendrons succeeded tolerably well ; but there being very ■ 

 large and fine Elm trees on both sides of the bed, it was soon 

 invaded by the roots of these intruders, and in spite of re- 

 peated cuttings there are Elm suckers within a yard of the 

 base of this Lilium, and most likely all over the bed. The 

 well-being of the plant can therefore hardly be due to the 

 richness of its food, and no artificial stimulant whatever has 

 been given. The Rhododendrons, I may observe, merely exist, 

 but this and other Lily bulbs have stood there several years. 

 Last year the plant had upwards of thirty blooms, and this 

 season a neighbouring plant bore also about the same number 

 of flowers on a spike. No protection, either winter or spring, 

 was given at any time, but I believe the shrubs by which it 

 was screened from the sun after the frosty mornings hi May 

 were of great service to it, as other bulbs that were planted 

 out in winter in an open bed, and fully exposed, were all but 

 killed by the frosts at the time named. 



Although the specimen described above is good, I am not 

 sure that the site is that best adapted to this Liliuni, neither 

 am I sure that peat alone, or peat with the usual addition of 

 sand, is the best material in which to grow the bulbs, for we 

 have had some good heads of bloom from soils of a widely 

 different character. It seems strange that a good-sized bulb, 

 such as that referred to must have been last year, when it 

 produced thirty blooms on one spike, should not have broken 

 up into several smaller ones. I confess I do not expect so 

 great a number again from the bulb that has done so well this 

 year, as I imagine it will break up into several. 



There is one thing I would strongly urge on all growers of 

 this species, and I may add of L. lancifolium also, and that is, 

 not to disturb the bulbs in the ground for at least three or four 

 years, for I attribute many of the losses in pot culture to,, 

 perhaps, keeping them too dry after flowering, or it may be 

 keeping the bulbs in paper, or exposed to the action of the 

 dry air for many weeks. Such treatment can hardly have its 

 parallel in nature, for, assuming even a dry period to occur., 

 the earth is never so dry as the atmosphere ; besides which., 

 there is every reason to suppose that the bulbs are carefully 

 screened from the sun's rays or the drying influence of the 

 ah - by a covering of herbage of some "kind not then' own, and 

 whether such herbage be in a green or dried state, it, never- 

 theless, acts the part Nature intended it to do, and the bulb 

 ripens gradually under such fostering care, rather than by the 

 scorching process I fear we often give it in this country, where 

 it is, perhaps, only half grown. To avoid such extremes, I 

 advise all to plant out the greater portion of their stock, and 

 if some natural protection do not exist for saving the young 



