290 
THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
they will then be making new roots preparatory to the next growth 
above ground ; and from this consideration follows another, and with 
it a rule of practice. Every kind of lilium begins a new growth 
below ground very soon after the flowering is over, and hence, when 
the flower stems begin to wither they should be repotted, trans- 
planted, or subjected to any necessary disturbance of the roots. 
Attention is directed to the words “ necessary disturbance,” for the 
roots of a lily should never be disturbed without a reason, and it 
should be observed that the bulbs are soft and juicy ; and hence 
exposure to the atmosphere exhausts their vital powers, and renders 
their next growth less vigorous than it should be. Einally, fresh 
animal manure should never touch the bulbs, or, indeed, be in im- 
mediate proximity to the roots. The best manures for them are leaf- 
mould, rotted turf, and spongy peat. Grenerally speaking, a soil 
consisting of peat alone is not the best, although many sorts will 
grow in it. As a rule, a deep, mellow, fertile loam, enriched with 
very old hot-bed manure and leaf-mould, will grow lilies to 
perfection. 
The amateur who purposes at this time to begin the cultivation 
of lilies, will, perhaps, be inclined to ask if the foregoing remarks 
tend to the depreciation of shop bulbs, which of necessity are taken 
from the ground and packed in dry material, and kept for some time 
in a drying atmosphere. As a matter of fact, our remarks do tend 
that way, and it must be acknowledged that shop bulbs are not so 
good — other things being equal — as bulbs just lifted from the ground 
or freshly turned out of pots. But as we cannot do without shop 
bulbs, and as we have all had to begin by purchasing, we must make 
the best of the case hj purchasing early, and potting and planting at 
the earliest possible moment afterwards. INine-tenths of all the disap- 
pointments experienced by amateurs of lilies may be traced back to 
the exhaustion of the bulbs in passing through the hands of the 
trade, and when it is necessary to import the bulbs from Japan, 
China, and the Pacific coast of America, the bulbs must be subjected 
to exhaustive conditions, and there is no help for it. The amateur 
may speculate in Auratums, Pardalinums, Washingtonianums, and 
others ; and having secured flue bulbs, and done full justice to them 
in cultivation, be so far disappointed as not to see a single flower. 
This is an extreme case, but it is within possibility. In such a case, 
what is to be done ? The answer is ready, have patience. If proper 
care is taken of the sorts that have gone through a season without 
flowering, a splendid bloom may be expected the next season, and 
thenceforward those particular sorts may be regarded as established ; 
and the cultivator who does justice to them will very soon find the 
stock increase to render him rich in lilies. It often happens that 
imported lilies require one whole summer to recruit their energies, 
and, this accomplished, they are prepared to do all that is required 
of them in the production of their splendid flowers. 
There is a peculiarity of growth of these plants that every 
amateur should take notice of, for it afi’ords a key to one important 
point in their cultivation. Every lily has two sets of roots. One set 
of roots proceeds from the base of the bulb, the other set proceeds 
