CHAPTEE XI 



LILIES AS CUT FLOWERS 



As lias been said already, lilies are among the 

 most valuable of cut flowers, but — ^there is a 

 great big but. The fact is that, although they 

 are invariably beautiful, some of them have 

 shockingly bad taste in the matter of the odor 

 that they exhale. These must be barred from 

 the house altogether and there are others that, 

 though classed as fragrant, have odors so over- 

 powering that they must needs be placed near 

 an open window or in a hall where there is a 

 good passage of air. 



The most agreeably odorous lily in the house 

 is L. longiflorum and its fragrance is the safest 

 for the sick-room. The similar fragrance of L. 

 japonicum Alexandras and L. philippinense, the 

 delicate and distinctive aroma of L. neilgher- 

 rense and the restrained scent of L. speciosum, 

 put them well at the head of the list ; and there 

 is the delicious perfume of L. candidum, that is 

 not too strong unless a great many of the blos- 



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