LILY. 



185 



taining the least injury. We do not wonder that grow- 

 ers get discouraged, in their efforts to establish a bed of 

 Lilies, when we see them purchase a collection of bulbs 

 that have been kept in dry sawdust, or exposed to the 

 dry atmosphere of a heated room from October until 

 May. Such bulbs will not recover until long after the 

 hopes of the gardener have blasted, and he has bestowed 

 his blighted affections on some other plant. 



When Lilies have become well established, and 

 show, by their flowers, that they have a congenial home, 

 frequent removals are not desirable ; the bed should 

 remain undisturbed as long as the plants bloom satisfac- 

 torily. It is well to remove the small bulbs that form 

 at the base of the stem in early spring, and transfer 

 them to a well prepared bed, to perfect their growth, 

 after which they may be placed in a permanent bed. 



In planting the small bulbs, it is the better plan not 

 to remove them from the stem, but to lay the portion of 

 the stem, with the bulbs attached, lengthwise in the 

 drill, and cover about two inches with good fibrous soil, 

 free from fresh manure ; the decaying stem and mass of 

 roots that surround the young bulbs will, in their decay, 

 materially assist in the development of the young bulbs. 



Lilies in Autumn. — While it is best to plant the 

 bulbs as we have above stated, there is a notable excep- 

 tion, which, like all others, confirms the rule. An ex- 

 periment, the result of accident, has shown us that 

 Lilies of all kinds can be had in autumn, as well as in 

 midsummer. The following is the result of our experi- 

 ence, as we reported it in the Garden and Forest, Octo- 

 ber, 1892 : " Last spring one of our seedsmen had a num- 

 ber of cases of assorted Lilies left over from spring sales. 

 After their journey from Japan in Xovember of the pre- 

 vious year, and having been kept perfectly dry until the 

 middle of May, the prospect of flowers from these bulbs 

 was poor indeed. In hopes of saving something out of 



