268 PLANT CULTURE 



well rotted stable manure; this, with the addition of some broken up 

 charcoal, is as much for the purpose of keeping the soil open as for 

 feeding. The aphis is one of the worst enemies of the Lily when 

 grown indoors, and the conditions favorable to its increase should 

 be guarded against — keeping the plants in perfect health is the best 

 preventive measure. Some of the things to be avoided are sudden 

 changes in temperature, chilly drafts, soil too wet or too dry. 

 Fumigating or vaporizing with tobacco must frequently be resorted 

 to whenever the aphis makes its appearance. 



Preparing Bulbs for Potting. If, as is frequently the case, 

 the bulbs on arrival are a trifle shrivelled, do not pot them imme- 

 diately, as they are apt to get a setback by so doing. The treat- 

 ment they get should be directed to restore the bulb as soon as pos- 

 sible to that condition in which it was when taken from the soil. 

 This can be done in the following manner much more quickly and 

 with better results than when potted immediately into soil. A cool, 

 moist propagating houss is an ideal place for the operation. Place 

 the bulbs as close together as they will go in the moderately wet 

 sand. They may be either covered with sand for a day or two, 

 without wetting, or covered with papers during the driest and hot- 

 test part of the day, until they get plump and fresh-looking, taking 

 care that they be potted just before the roots break through, for if 

 potting be done after the roots make their appearance more harm 

 than good will result. 



L. Speciosum. At the season when Roses and Carnations 

 are scarce, both in and out of the greenhouse, a grand substitute 

 may be found in the Japanese Lily, Lilium speciosum. It is one of 

 the best, if not the very best, so far as graceful structure of flower 

 is concerned, being far ahead of the popular variety of L. longiflorum 

 in this respect. L. speciosum was introduced from Japan; it was 

 then erroneously called Lilium lancifolium, a name by which it is 

 still known in many places. The species is extremely variable in 

 form and color of flower, color of stems, foliage, buds, and even in 

 the anthers. Among the whites, L. s. Krcetzcri, imported direct 

 from Japan, is one of the finest. This variety has greenish stripes 

 down each of the six divisions of the flower; the anthers are brown. 

 L. s. album-novum has larger flowers, with bright yellow anthers. 

 L. s. album, grown in Europe, gradually becomes tinged with pink. 

 L. s. punctaium has white flowers dotted with pink. The principal 

 pink or carmine forms are L. roseum rubrum; others are Liiiums 

 Sckrymakersi, cruenlum, purpureum, purpuratum, magnificum and 



