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THE LILIES OF THE FIELD. 



quantity of showy scarlet flowers, which form a glowing 

 contrast to the deep shining green of the leaves. It 

 should be planted in a rather sandy loam. 



The glorious LiUiim aiiratum may be forced with 

 perfect success, though one seems to see it but rarely 

 among amateur collections used for this purpose. It is 

 admirable in a conservatory, and quite striking when 

 seen among decorative plants. Still, it seems to find 

 conditions most suitable outdoors. It should be planted 

 at this season, and prefers a peaty soil, though we have 

 seen it doing well in a rather heavy loam. In selecting 

 bulbs of this lily, indeed in selecting bulbs of any lilies, 

 large heavy ones should be chosen. This season a very 

 large quantity of auratum blooms have been seen in 

 the New York market, making a fine show in the florist's 

 windows. 



Most people are now familiar with that narcissus vari- 

 ously known as Chinese Sacred lily, Chinese New Year's 

 lily, etc., which so often forms a celestial window- 

 garden in the laundry of our friend. Ah Sin. This is a 

 form of Narcissus Tazctta, and is remarkably florifer- 

 ous, producing numerous flower-stalks, each bearing a 

 truss of sometimes single and sometimes double flowers. 

 The bulbs are very large, with numerous offsets, each of 

 these offsets bearing flowers. The greatest peculiarity 

 of this narcissus is its semi-aquatic nature. We usually 

 see the bulb placed in a flat dish filled with pebbles and 

 water. It may also be grown in sand or gravel, kept 

 very wet. All bulbs are better for being in a moist at- 

 mosphere, but this is almost an impossibility in our 

 super-heated winter-dwellings. 



BULBS IN THE HOUSE. 



All About Growing Them. — If I were an amateur, I 

 would not try many of the kinds of bulbs advertised 

 for window-culture, but would confine my selection to 

 hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, freesias and Harrisii lili ^, 

 These will give a pleasing variety of bloom, are easily 

 cultivated ; and are showy and beautiful bulbs. 



A good compost is quite important and can be made 

 by using one-third of garden soil, one-third old, 

 thoroughly rotted manure, and sand in the same propor- 

 tion. The amount of sand may seem large but try a 

 compost made up after this formula and I think you will 

 be pleased with results. I am an earnest advocate of 

 liberal quantities of sand in all soils for pot-plants, with 

 a few exceptions— and "exceptions prove the rule," they 

 tell us. Mix the loam, manure and sand well, until 

 you have a light, friable mass. 



Do not use large pots, unless you plant several bulbs 

 in a pot. I generally plant three hyacinth or tulip- 

 bulbs in a six-inch pot. Four-inch pots are large enough 

 for single bulbs of either of these plants. For large 

 bulbs of f.ilium I/ayi-isii I use a six-inch pot, or pot 

 three good-sized bulbs in a nine or ten-inch pot. Tulip- 

 bulbs I cover about one inch deep. Hyacinths I plant 

 about half their depth in soil. In potting the Bermuda lily, 

 I fill the pot only about half full of soil and press the 

 bulbs into the compost. As soon as they put up a stalk, 



I add soil, and continue to do this as the stalk grows, 

 until the pot is full. This practice does not generally 

 prevail, I know, but it is one based on sound principles. 

 The stalk of a lily throws out roots for its support above 

 the bulb, and if you wish to secure a firm, strong growth 

 you must set the bulb deep enough to allow you to give 

 soil enough above it to contain these roots. Plant the 

 bulb only an inch or two under soil and the flower-stalk 

 has but little support, and you must tie it to a stick to 

 prevent its being broken. Plant the bulb deep enough 

 in the pot to allow four or five inches of soil above it 

 and the stalk will require no support. 



Potting for winter-flowering can be done any time after 

 September, or t'ti September, if you wish early flowers. 

 When you pot your bulbs, water them well, then set the 

 pots away in a cool dark place to allow roots to form. 

 Plant a bulb in spring, and roots and top make simulta- 

 neous growth, so that you have weak, unsatisfactory 

 bloom. It is the same when you plant bulbs in pots and 

 put them at once in a warm, light place. If you want 

 good flowers from potted bulbs you must put them away 

 in the dark for at least six weeks to form roots. The 

 cooler the place, provided they do not freeze, the better. 



When you bring bulbs to the light, do not put them in 

 a very warm room, or they will make a weak, rapid 

 growth, and very often the buds will blast. If you have 

 a room that is proof against frost adjoining one in which 

 fire is kept, keep your bulbs there. The cooler you can 

 keep the air of the room in which your bulbs bloom, 

 and have it above frost, the longer the flowers will last. 

 If hyacinths show a tendency to develop buds in a little 

 bunch down among the leaves, make a cap of thick brown 

 paper, like a cone, cut off its apex and slip the cone over 

 the pot. The flower-stalk will reach up toward the light 

 coming in through the opening at the top, and in this 

 manner you lengthen it. 



In selecting tulips for pot-culture, get single sorts. 

 They bloom better than the double ones, and are really 

 more desirable in all ways. Among hyr.cinths, too, the 

 single sorts are best. The Roman varieties are favorites 

 of mine. They send up several spikes of bloom, while 

 the ordinary varieties seldom have more than one. Their 

 flowers are arranged more loosely on the stem, and have 

 a less stiff and formal effect. They are delightfully 

 sweet, and come in pink, pale yellow, blue, and white. 

 They are single, and excellent for cutting. Tulips, hya- 

 cinths and daffodils generally bloom in about a month 

 after being brought out into the light. By keeping the 

 pots in the dark the time of flowering can be retarded, so 

 that one can have a succession of bloom. It is not easy 

 to say when the Harrisii lily should be brought up in 

 order to have it in bloom at Easter, because the condi- 

 tions under which it is grown vary so much that advice 

 seldom hits the mark. In a warm room the flowers come 

 on rapidly ; in a cool room, slowly. From this you can 

 get an idea that may help you in governing the bloom- 

 ing period somewhat. If the plant seems developing too 

 rapidly, put it in a cooler place ; if too slowly, give 

 it more warmth. Eben E. Rexford. 



