THE BIG BOG AND ITS LILIES 165 



novelty, I collected that bulb with laborious care, and 

 carried it home to Japan, through all the changes and 

 chances of mortal life, which involved a visit to the 

 Great Wall of China and a fortnight of dust-storms 

 and pneumonia in a hospital of French nuns at Peking. 

 And for my reward that Lily throve and shot up to 

 its full height like any heroine of a novel. But alas ! 

 when the gracious blossom opened, it was only Lilium 

 inedeoloeides, which, like avenaceiim, is a smaller, frailer ver- 

 sion of its compatriot, graceful, glowing-flowered callosum. 



Aurahvm, nowadays, has many forms, and the first 

 thing to notice is that auratum platyphyllum has absolutely 

 destroyed auratum for gardening purposes. Platyphyllum 

 is twice as large as auratum, twice as vigorous, twice as 

 perennial, twice as easy to grow, and twice as brilliant. 

 Indeed, I might have said thrice or four times without 

 overshooting the mark, I think. Platyphyllum is magni- 

 ficent ; no one must ever think of buying the type aura- 

 tum nowadays. Then there is the beautiful virginale, 

 without spots, but a trifle delicate and capricious ; and 

 rubro-vittatum, with notable central stripe of crimson 

 down each segment. And, finally, there is a new form 

 just dawning over the Eastern horizon, in which I am 

 this year indulging, despite its terrifying price. This is 

 described as rubro-vittatum as far as brilliancy of colour- 

 ing and crimson stripe are concerned, but as being pure 

 platyphyllum in every other respect — in strength, in 

 stature, in enormous size of blossom, in unpretentious 

 readiness to thrive and persist. 



As for Lilium giganteum, this unnatural-looking Lily 

 comes triumphantly in to some high, copsy corner above 

 the bog, a corner, if possible, sheltered from sun and wind. 

 Glehni, cordifolium, and giganteum make up a small, 

 strange group of Cardiocrinums, utterly unlike all the 

 other lily-classes — Archeleirion, Euleirion, Isoleirion, 



