August 14, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
789 
this house, the colours varying from a pure white to 
the deepest crimson. Of Statice profusa and S. Hol- 
foi'di numbers of plants were in rude health and finely 
flowered. 
In a well arranged Peach-house were some good crops 
just beginning to colour. Here we noticed some first- 
rate Tomatos, the true form of Trophy, large, perfect 
in shape, and splendidly coloured. Mr. Spencer first 
of all obtained his seed from some American source, 
and now saves his own from the best-looking fruit the 
plants produce—a hint worth noting. 
Yet another little structure has to be named, in the 
shape of a two-light frame, containing a varied lot of 
cool Orchids, and they certainly looked very well— 
Masdevallias, Odontoglossums, Oncidiums, and Cypri- 
pediums. "Who need be without a few Orchids when 
they can be grown in such a place ? 
The last house I have to name is a fruiting Pine 
stove—by the way, a favourite fruit with the owner of 
Goodrich Court. This contained, in addition to the 
proper inmates, a nice lot of East Indian Orchids sus¬ 
pended in baskets at the back of the house under a hip¬ 
roof, where they were not shaded. A smarter plant of 
Saccolabium giganteum I have not seen. Aerides 
crispum was also very clean, and well furnished with 
leaves. Several others—Aerides, Saccolabiums, and 
Yandas—were evidently at home. In concluding these 
remarks, I must not forget to name two very meritorious 
Oncidiums in flower, which were 0. Lanceanum, with 
leaves more like Cabbages in size, and 0. divaricatum, 
which had a spike of 230 blooms upon it. Great credit 
is due to Mr. Spencer for the management of this place, 
considering that he has additional duties to attend to 
apart from the garden. I ought also to say how kindly 
and hospitably we were entertained by Mr. Spencer, 
whose sole aim was to make us thoroughly welcome.— 
Tlios. Simcoe. 
-- 
NOTES ON LILIUMS— II. 
Continuing my remarks on this noble family of 
plants, I will, in the order in which they flower, first 
call attention to 
Lilium croceum, the orange Lily of gardens, a 
valuable species, inasmuch as it is everybody’s plant, 
and one which all can succeed with. It is also one of 
the most showy of the coloured Lilies in the middle of 
June, growing about 2J ft. high or another 6 ins. as 
the maximum. The colour is orange and freely spotted 
with black ; the flowers are arranged in large umbels, 
and it may be regarded as among the best of the early 
flowering Lilies. It belongs to the Isolirion group 
which are distinguished by having erect or bell-shaped 
flowers. The species now under notice succeeds well 
in any good garden soil, made fairly rich, and to this 
I may add that it is one of the cheapest Lilies grown, 
a fact which should favour its greater cultivation ; in 
habit it is sturdy and erect. In the same group, and 
flowering at the same time, come many fine forms of 
Lilium davuricum. I need not enlarge upon their 
cultural requirements as this is needless. Plant in 
good loamy soil, fairly rich, and you will have success 
with all the forms contained under this head, which 
also represents those generally sold as fulgens, umbella- 
tum, and so on. Among the finer of the davuricum 
group, there may be mentioned Incomparabile, having 
intense rich crimson, black spotted flowers ; this is one 
of the best, growing about 2 ft. high and strikingly 
handsome ; Erectum, scarlet shaded with yellow, ft.; 
Sappho, scarlet shading to orange, 2 ft. ; and Don 
Juan, bright rose shading to scarlet, 2| ft. Then we 
have the numerous forms of 
Lilium elegans or thunbergianum, all delightful 
Lilies, and many of them specially adapted for pot 
culture ; in height they vary from 1 ft. to 4 ft., and in 
colour they embrace many lovely and pleasing shades. 
The dwarf growing forms too have equally as large 
flowers as any, and when seen in small groups are most 
desirable garden ornaments ; the dwarf growers should 
be planted at not more than 3 ins. deep, that is from 
the apex of the bulb; the taller kinds, such for 
example as L. elegans Bateman®, which grows 4 ft. 
high when established, may be safely planted 6 ins. 
deep. I will only briefly cite the best of the early 
kinds at present, among which the variety, alutaceum, 
which grows only 1 ft. high, holds a prominent 
position ; in colour it is a lovely rich apricot and 
very distinct ; it is specially suited for pot culture 
owing to its dwarf habit and pleasing flowers. A 
variety very similar to it is Prince of Orange, with 
light clear orange flowers, and of similar height to the 
first named ; then we have L. elegans sanguineum, with 
conspicuous reddish blood-crimson flowers, slightly 
shaded with orange, one of the largest, and, at the same 
time, earliest flowering in this group ; and L. elegans 
fulgens, rich crimson, mottled and stained with yel¬ 
low. Next comes L. elegans bicolor, one of the loveliest 
of this section, the flowers are large and abundant, and 
of a rich Apricot-orange, flamed with scarlet and lilac ; 
most beautiful for pots or the border ; height 1J ft. 
Besides those I have named in this section there are 
many more equally good and distinct, and possessing 
points of merit which commend them to all who desire 
effective and fragrant flowers. The next Lily to which 
I shall refer is the well known 
Lilium candidum, the common white Lily of 
gardens, and the Madonna Lily of the Italians, but 
what fresh can be said of such a well known and highly 
meritorious plant 1 Far and wide it is known to hold 
an almost unique position in this truly noble genus ; it 
is known too by every cottager, and most universally, 
and, at the same time, deservingly admired; it is, in fact, 
one of the most valuable of all Lilies, inasmuch as it 
will endure forcing, which if judiciously applied is cal¬ 
culated to produce most satisfactory results, and in the 
hands of the floral decorator and the market grower it 
well repays generous treatment ; to enable it to with¬ 
stand forcing, it is needful that it should be prepared 
accordingly, and those who would wish for success 
should have their bulbs lifted at once and potted. It is 
one of the most handsome of all Lilies throughout the 
greater part of June, and when gradually brought on in 
heated structures it will come much earlier in the 
season ; hence its value. Now here comes the note¬ 
worthy point in its culture, as soon as the flowering 
stems show signs of decay they may be lifted and 
transplanted with safety ; it is at this time that they 
commence to emit fresh roots, therefore, for their 
future welfare jit is essential that these should be pre¬ 
served intact; by the arrival of winter they will have 
made plenty of roots, and be in condition for intro¬ 
ducing into heat as desired. It is better, perhaps, after 
potting to plunge them in ashes or cocoa-fibre, or, 
better still, by standing them close together, cover 
them 2 ins. or 3 ins. deep ; short litter from the stable 
will answer the same purpose, and, at the same time, 
will save watering—a thing to be desired—since 
constant waterings are jnot beneficial to the soil 
in the case of newly potted subjects. The mulch¬ 
ing or covering should be removed as soon as the 
leaves appear, for with these there will be roots also. 
So much, then, in respect to pot culture, and I need 
hardly add a word in respect to its general usefulness 
in the border. During the time of its flowering it 
carries the sway in the border, and all eyes will invari¬ 
ably turn to the peerless purity of this lovely and 
fragrant Lily. "When seen in established clumps, it is 
extremely effective and everywhere a favourite. It is 
one of the oldest inhabitants of our gardens, to which 
it was introduced nearly three centuries ago from the 
Levant; and judging by its usefulness in a cut state, 
it will, with the ever-increasing rage for flowers, long 
continue among the most popular of hardy plants. 
Strangely enough, the departures from the typical 
species are anything but numerous, and in no case do 
they equal in general beauty that of the original 
plant. Those varieties which are marked as differing 
from the type is its double form (also called mon- 
strosum), and speeiosum, a variety smaller than the 
type in its flowers, and somewhat earlier in bloom, and 
having snow-white flowers. Beyond these there are 
one or two variegated forms, apart from which charac¬ 
teristic no particular beauty attaches. This Lily de¬ 
lights in a deep, rich, loamy soil, and when planted 
should be placed at least 6 ins. below the surface. To 
many it will have been apparent that the flowers soon 
become bespattered with the golden pollen which 
abounds on the anthers, and which is discharged at a 
certain stage of maturity, not unfrequently disfiguring 
the blossoms in the earliest days of their existence. To 
avoid this it has become a general practice to remove 
the pollen-cases on the flowers first expanding, and by 
so doing their purity and beauty remains unimpaired— 
at any rate, from the standpoint of the florist. Another 
chaste and lovely Lily, flowering at the same time as 
the one just mentioned, is to be found in 
Lilium testaceum (syn. excelsum).—It is in all 
respects a first-rate Lily, and one whose cultural re¬ 
quirements are of the simplest nature. In height and 
its flower-stems it is not unlike the Madonna Lily ; in 
all other respects it is widely different. "When well 
established, it will attain 4 ft. and even 5 ft. high, is 
of robust constitution, and produces pendulous Apricot- 
coloured flowers, which are extremely fragrant. It is 
a delicious bit of colour, such as few are possessed of, 
and should find a place in all good collections of hardy 
plants. It is at home in any well-enriched garden 
soil, and from its height adapted for association with 
the taller subjects in the border, and forms an excellent 
companion for the common white Lily. L. testaceum 
belongs to the Martagon group, which is distinguished 
by the divisions of the perianth being distinctly re¬ 
curved. — J. 
-- 
WEEDS. 
Are these an unmitigated nuisance and a curse as 
popularly assumed ? According to theologians they are 
one result of the primeval curse which condemned man 
to eat bread earned by the sweat of his brow, but we, 
who take a more exalted view of the dealing of a beni- 
ficent Creator towards his creature man, take a view of 
the subject somewhat different from that which we 
imbibed at our mother’s knee in infancy, and see 
in weeds a provision to compel man who might become 
indolent to exert himself, for were it not for them one- 
half of the labour incident to the cultivation of the soil 
would be spared. The mistake about them is not in 
the dealings of the Creator with man, but with man for 
man there are some among us who get more than a fair 
share of the work in keeping them down alloted to us. 
The subject of land tenure will ultimately be largely 
affected by the view ■which the populace, as a whole, 
take of weeds. As our rural populations are now to a 
large extent enfranchised, the views they take on the 
proper cultivation of the soil must ultimately affect 
legislation, and the day will come when those w T ho 
from neglect or indifference allow their holdings to be 
overrun with weeds to the detriment of the State at 
large, and loss and annoyance of their more immediate 
neighbours, will render themselves liable to an action 
for damages, for why should anyone be allowed to 
poison a whole district with weeds any more than en¬ 
danger the health of a district with noisome smells. 
In the fore part of the season we had an abnormally 
low temperature, which kept some of our crops in check; 
but not the weeds. These, if successful culture is to be 
obtained, must be kept down at all cost, and those who 
keep their ground the cleanest will be rewarded with 
the best returns. Crops cannot flourish choked up 
with rubbish. There are a few simple plans which, if 
followed out, will materially lessen the work of keeping 
the weeds under. One is to have ground intended for 
the sowing of small seeds, such as Carrots, Turnips, 
Onions, &c., dug over some time beforehand, so that 
the seedling weeds may have time to germinate, and 
then run the Dutch hoe over the surface, this destroys 
one crop and effects a great saving in keeping the 
ground clean. "When a large breadth of Potatos are 
grown, the running of a chain-harrow over the ground 
before the shaws get too far forward will destroy many 
of the young weeds, and in dry seasons will save one 
hoeing. 
The mulching of Pea and Bean crops with lawn 
