26 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 10, 1895. 
known as spot than any of its congeners. A contributor to the 
“ Garden and Forest ” says he has been told by a friend who has 
seen it growing wild in the islands off the Malay Peninsula that it 
is always found growing on the face of limestone rocks not far 
from the sea, its roots nestling among the debris formed in little 
depressions in the rock, and its leaves exposed to full sunshine. It 
becomes completely dried up for a portion of the year, but when 
the wet season returns it soon recovers and flowers profusely. No 
doubt we fail with this plant through growing it in the ordinary 
peat mixture in a moist, shaded house, and keeping it watered all 
the year round. 
ORIENTAL LILIES. 
The reign of the Lily is almost co-extensive with that of the 
Rose. One of its many interesting families, the Ixiolirion, blooms 
contemporaneously with the earliest China Roses, which in our 
gardens are the first to develop their delicate flowers. Here the 
Siberian Lily, Lilium davuricum, appears in June, followed 
successively by croceum and Thunbergianum ; then by candi- 
dum, longiflorum, Martagon, auratum, and speciosum, of which 
the last mentioned is the latest of all, often persistently blooming 
in the dreary confines of November, and continuing till its flower 
buds, for lack of ripening sunshine, are unable to expand. 
There are many recent introductions from China and Japan, 
which have been named and duly classified by the great authority 
on Eastern plants, Mr. Baker of Kew. Such for example are 
Lilium Henryi and Alexandra, the origin of which has not yet, 
as far as I can learn, been clearly ascertained, but the longer I live 
the more am I persuaded that of all existing Lilies for garden 
decoration Lilium candidum is the best. It is not, of course, 
so gorgeous in its colouring or imposing in its dimensions as 
auratum, nor have its flowers the size or far-shining splendour of 
longiflorum, but on the other hand it is a stately and exceedingly 
beautiful Lily, It produces a larger number of exquisite blooms ; 
its flowers do not become tarnished by the agency of insects and 
the inevitable dispersion of its pollen, as do those of its great rival 
Lilium Harrisi, and thus its remarkable purity is unstained. If 
we would behold it in its full glory we should see it in the summer 
twilight, when the solemn shadows of evening are beginning to 
descend. Even when darkness is folding it round it glows with 
a lustrous beauty which the lover of Nature may intensely 
experience, but cannot describe. Can it then be said with truth 
that the Rose is “ unapproachable,” and “ brooks no rival near her 
throne ? ” Nowhere is the Madonna Lily more majestic in her 
mien, or more dazzling in her chastity, than when she is standing 
with a most imperial aspect in the presence of the Rose. 
Lilium longiflorum is, for reasons I have indicated, much better 
for distant than for near floral effect. I do not know what may 
be its attractiveness when confined to a conservatory from an 
entomological point of view ; but this, at least, I can verify from 
experience, that when grown in the open air its great trumpet-like 
flowers are almost constantly haunted by most pernicious insects, 
that give its pollen a very wide circulation, and work on their 
outward surface to the destruction of whatever beauty pertains to 
its flowers. This I have very great reason to regret, for no Lily 
is more numerous in my garden, where it is luxurious in growth 
and tropical in habit, and where it also multiplies with marvellous 
rapidity. It would be the most beautiful and impressive of all 
Lilies if the strong winds of early autumn and the monstrous 
regiment of insects would but leave it alone. But even under 
these trying and often irritating conditions it is admirable when 
distance, almost redeeming by concealing its considerably modified 
complexion, lends enchantment to the view. He who grows it for 
this specially artistic purpose will be amply repaid. But he must 
not permit its affectionate offspring, which have a tendency to 
become overcrowded, to remain in those circumstances for any 
length of time ; for otherwise the permission of this questionable 
privilege will come to have a very deteriorating effect. 
Candidum, which does not so rapidly increase, is by no means 
very appreciative of frequent disturbance or subtraction ; but longi¬ 
florum, which has manifestly considerably greater generative 
capability, is all the better occasionally of having its offspring, 
generally much too numerous, judiciously separated, that thus 
through isolation they may acquire greater strength. 
Auratum is a Lily of a somewhat different nature ; it does not 
increase with the same rapidity, and can seldom be expected to 
survive for many years. Platyphyllum is perhaps an exception to 
this general rule, which nevertheless cannot be too carefully 
remembered by him who desires to have successful auratums every 
year. He must plant new bulbs occasionally, at least, to accomplish 
this result. Doubtless those imported, however formidable in 
dimensions, have for obvious reasons a much shorter life in 
European gardens than those which are home grown. That they 
find the long voyage from Japan to Great Britain somewhat 
exacting, and even demoralising, cannot be doubted by the most 
sanguine cultivator of these. Planted in many instances as late as 
February, they flower, under favourable conditions of soil and 
atmosphere, wonderfully the first year; but thereafter, as if 
completely exhausted by their efforts, they miraculously disappear, 
and the place that once knew them they adorn no more. This is 
the moral which is taught us by their premature decay : that unless 
they have leisure for the work Nature has assigned them—viz., 
that of root production, evanescence must be their destiny and 
death their sudden doom. They greatly resemble the pupils of 
Dr. Blimber in ‘‘ Dombey and Son,” whose intellects were forced in 
that august institution as if in some vastly overheated conser¬ 
vatory, with disastrous results. 
Among the most admirable of Oriental Lilies for vitality and 
endurance are excelsum and one of its parents, chalcedonicum, 
perhaps better known as the Scarlet Martagon, tigrinum splendens, 
much cultivated for its remarkable brilliancy at Kew, and nearly 
all the existing varieties of speciosum, of which the most artistic is 
L. Krsetzeri. It is, however, a fine weather production ; a cold, 
wet summer like that of 1894 is inevitably injurious to the upper 
roots, and therefore also to the flowers, which long ere they reach 
their full development commence to decay. 
The great Martagon family has a wide circulation. It chiefly 
exists in Central and Southern Europe ; but L. canadense, on the 
other hand, as its name signifies, is a native of Canada ; columbi- 
anum of Oregon, Humboldii of California, tenuifolium of Siberia, 
and Szovitzianum of Asia Minor. Of these I think the most im¬ 
pressive in its beauty and stateliness is Lilium Humboldti. If 
more widely cultivated it would soon become exceeding popular, if 
only in virtue of its unique complexion, which is deep golden 
yellow distinctly shaded with purple, a colour which, however, is 
somewhat arduous to define. 
Lilium Henryi, which comes to us from China, is the latest 
addition to my interesting collection. It may be described as a 
speciosum of apricot hue, of vigorous nature, and very floriferous. 
In this and other respects it is strongly contrasted to the Indian 
Lily Nepalense, which I cultivated last year, and then remorselessly 
relegated to oblivion. The latter demands a conservatory, grows 
rapidly to an imposing height, and then produces with obvious 
difficulty two solitary flowers ; which, however beautiful, are 
destitute of fragrance, and cannot be compared to those of 
auratum, longiflorum or speciosum for impressiveness of aspect or 
splendour of effect.— David R. Williamson. 
INTERVIEWING A NOTED GRAPE GROWER. 
{.Concluded from page 12.) 
Havind briefly discussed the questions of soil, pruning, 
dressing, and other matters in routine, the questions of the 
splitting of the berries, colouring, and watering of borders were 
next touched on. Split berries, Mr. Craven considered, were the 
most common on Vines in heavy soils. In light soils a fear of 
watering on account of cracking was apt to cause the skins to 
become hardened, so that when water must be given if the crop is 
to be finished the sudden flush of sap causes the skins to expand 
too suddenly. Damp atmospherical conditions also cause it. He 
waters the Vines steadily through the season, continuing until the 
Grapes are finished. Black Grapes, he remarked, colour best under 
shade, but not too much for the thick-skinned kinds, as they 
require longer and higher feeding than the midseason varieties. 
The borders are watered as long as the foliage remains green. A 
ruinous practice is to allow them to become dust dry. Yet they 
can be over-watered so as to become sour. The most certain 
remedy then is to lift and relay the roots in fresh soil. Outside 
borders should have protection against excessive wet. 
“ You say you would lift and relay. What is your idea as to 
the best way to proceed ? ” This was the reply to that question. 
“ If the roots are deep they should be raised, as no compost will 
draw roots up through a foot or more of soil. If the roots are 
fibreless I would lift and relay horizontally in borders one-third 
the original width, notching strong roots here and there, from 
whence fresh feeding roots will be emitted in due course. Where 
roots are in fairly good condition, but the border impoverished, I 
would not hesitate to cut straight through it—say, 8 or 9 feet from 
the Vine stem, and lift to within 3 feet, relaying the shortened 
roots in new compost. This will cause branching fibres to issue 
close home, and not merely at the extremity of the border. When 
lifting is not carried so closely to Vines I have known Grapes 
shank badly and never finish. Thus one has by degrees a whole 
border full of roots, which border can be added to as they extend. 
As proving what can be done in this direction, we had Vines here 
