162 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
of trees. The leathery appearance of the leaves would 
have almost hinted that the plant liked a sufficiency of 
moisture and a little shade; though, when inured to it, it 
will, no doubt, stand the most of the sun we can give 
it The jiosition, the summits of marshy places, would 
have led us to imagine tiiat the plant was equally, if not 
more, hardy than the Desfontainea; but we arrive at this 
conclusion as to its greater hardiness, chiefly from 
recollecting,—-though I cannot lay hand on the details,— 
that the habitat of this plant extends farther to the 
south, and that it had been found rather plentifully 
through the Chiloen Archipelago, in Patagonia, and 
all lands skirting the Straits of Magellan; and in the 
latter of these places we should not consider the climate, 
in general, to be superior to the south of England. 
4. LI LIU M GIGANTEUM. 
This is another of Mr. Veitcli’s, introductions from 
India, and supposed to be next-door to being hardy in 
our climate. The elevation of the flowers, near to the 
point of a stem, some six feet in height, and the great 
size of the lower arm-like leaves, would always require 
for it a very sheltered place, such as where the large- 
leaved and large-flowered Brugmansia suavcolens would 
flourish in summer. The flowers of this wonderful Lily 
are almost as large as the Brugmansia; creamy-white 
outside, and displaying, by the petals turning back at 
the points, a fine dash of crimson-purple, about the 
centre of the inside of each petal. It formed a striking 
object at the end of a table at Chiswick, in the May Show 
of 1853. The stem, from being from two to three inches 
in diameter at the base, tapered gradually to something 
like a-quarter-of-an inch at its point. The leaves, largo, 
and on longish footstalks at the base, diminish in size as 
the stem rises, until, towards the point, the leaves, 
somewhat alternate fashion, ^ive place to flowers; and, 
but for their massive size hanging down, the whole 
plaut, stem and leaves, would form a long, regular cane. 
I am not aware that seeds have ripened, or germinated 
in this country. Seeds previously imported had not 
vegetated. Mr. Veitch’s plaut was from an imported 
bulb. It has stood severe cold, uninjured, at Exeter. 
The great use of the plant will, however, consist in orna¬ 
menting cool conservatories. As the stem blooms, like an 
American Aloe, only once, apart from seed, propagation 
must depend upon the suckers that are freely produced. 
Judging from analogy, I would say, that when a person 
was more anxious to increase his stock than to secure a 
flower-stem, the nipping off the neck of the bulb, when 
it became of a good size, would, by preventing the 
flower-stem rising, expedite the protrusion of offsets. 
Small offsets, however, make their appearance often, 
even when the main bulb is increasing in strength, and 
gathering resources for a splendid flower-stem. I have 
not had the plant under my own care, but I have noticed 
its peculiarities under the management of some friends; 
and the following I would deem essential points in its 
management. 
Whatever its hardiness, when I got a small bulb, I 
would treat it to a temperature and circumstauces inter¬ 
mediate between a warm stove and greenhouse, supply¬ 
ing heat and moisture to it during the whole of the 
spring and summer, so as to enlarge the size, and 
iucraese the number of the leaves. I would grow it in 
peat and loam, enriched with old cow-dung, surface- 
dressings, or weak manure-waterings. In repeated 
pottings, the bulb, as it increases in size, should be kept 
well elevated above the surface of the soil in the pot. 
The reason for this is, that the rays of the sun, un¬ 
impeded by soil, or the rim of the pot, may play freely 
on the bulb during the autumn mouths. The time 
necessary to grow, before you expect a plant to be strong 
enough to bloom satisfactorily, will depend greatly on the 
size of the bulb you receive. In the case of a small 
Novemrer 28. 
j 
bulb, you must not grudge a couple of years. I 
should like to have the roots, previously, thoroughly 
occupying, almost to the bursting of, a twelve oreighteen- 
incli pot. During winter, while thus growing, 1 would 
rest the plants by comparative coolness and dryness; 
but not so dry as an Amaryllis, that sheds the whole of 
its leaves; nor yet so moist as one of that family, that 
keeps its foliage, as the Aulica varieties. As the bulb 
approached blooming size, the ripening of the bulb in 
the autumn must be the great consideration; and, 
therefore, it should get all the sun and air possible, 
without diminution of heat at first, and with a gradual 
diminution of water. The mode of applying what 
little is wanted is of importance. A friend of ours 
had a fine plant, in September, standing in front of 
a greenhouse (inside the glass), the pot standing in a 
large pan of damp sand, no water having been given j 
on the soil in the pot for some time previously. No 
better plan could be adopted for maintaining a di¬ 
minished rate of growth, and accelerating, at the same 
time, the maturing processes; and the plan will be 
found equally effectual in the case of many other bulbs. 
In a short time, the pan of damp sand would be 
removed, and the plant kept cool and dryish during the 
winter. I shall be deceived, if the advancing heats of 
spring do not bring with it a strong flower-stem : and 
the first appearance of growth must, of course, be at¬ 
tended with judicious waterings, and weak manure 
soakings will tell with advantage. I believe the plant 
will bloom well without all this care; but in the case of, 
comparatively, a new plant, and one that is so very 
striking, a little extra pains is well rewarded. A succes¬ 
sion of flowering plants must thus be obtained by a 
succession of younger ones. 
I have frequently thought, how nice an avenue of 
these Lilies would look, alternating with the blue 
Campanula pyramidalis, one of those splendid old 
plants which should never be allowed to get out of 
fashion. I felt quite tantalised and ashamed of my 
neglect, on seeing some fine specimens of this Campa¬ 
nula, in different places, in windows. We ought ever to 
be grateful to these collectors, who risk health and life 
in securing floral novelties for us; but, above all should 
we prize those beauties that the peasant may possess as 
well as the peer. R. Fish. 
DIONCEA MUSCIPULA. 
The generic name of this wouderfully curious plant is 
derived from Dione, one of the names of the heathen 
goddess Venus ; and the second, or specific name, means 
Flycatcher; so that, together, we have our English 
name Venus’s Flytrap or Catcher. There are very few 
plants, indeed, that so admirably display the wonders of 
the creative-power of Him who spake and it was done; 
who commanded and it stood fast. The wonderful 
economy of this plant is sufficient in itself to silence for 
ever the proud conceit of the infidel, who ascribes every j 
created thing to blind chance, or to an imaginary ne- j 
cessity which he calls “nature.” To the Christian, every 
such plant that may come under his observation, is only 
one other demonstration of the Creator’s wisdom. 
The Dioncea Muscipula is a low-growing evergreen 
plant, found in the swamps of Carolina, having in many 
points, a considerable resemblance to our almost equally 
curious plant, called Sundew, which may be found 
growing plentifully in wet bogs amongst the white bog 
moss, the Sphagnum, so useful to the Orchid cultivator. 
The leaves of Dioncea are placed on their foot-stalks 
apparently in pairs, though, in reality, they are only 
wings of one leaf, which, w’hen expanded, are nearly 
round. On the margins of these wings there are long, 
stiifish hairs, placed alternately to each other. In the 
