450 On the Cultivation of the Guernsey Lily. 



friend of mine, late in the autumn of 1817, furnished me 

 with some roots which had been imported that year ; 

 their bloom was then decaying. They were taken out 

 of the pots, and, of course, received a considerable check in 

 the removal. I immediately potted them, and placed them, 

 during the winter, under the glass of a pit in which I had 

 sown Melons on tan in the summer preceding, and in which 

 the heat of the tan was very nearly, if not entirely exhausted ; 

 the leaves grew luxuriantly, and when they decayed, I took 

 up the bulbs, and, in the autumn of 1818, repotted them in 

 fresh earth, and placed them under the frame, as before ; 

 they were again potted in August last, and I soon had the 

 satisfaction of seeing five out of seven shew their blossom in 

 as great perfection as fresh imported roots. 



By this it fully appears, that the old roots are by no 

 means useless, as many suppose; for, by good manage- 

 ment, they may again be brought into a flowering state. It 

 appears also that, by the protection of glass, almost without 

 the aid of artificial heat,* two winters were sufficient for 

 this purpose, even though the plants had been checked by 

 removal ; and reasoning from this fact, I think we may fairly 

 conclude, that by the additional aid of regular artificial heat, 

 one winter -would effect the perfect maturation, and conse- 

 quently the successive flowering of the plant. 



The soil which I have found to be most congenial to the 

 Guernsey Lily is a very rich one, made light, if not naturally 

 so, by the addition of sand ; care must be taken not to give 



* This is within the reach of every cottager, who may easily renovate his old 

 toots by placing the pots in a window, so as to have the advantage of the sun. 



