Nov. 8th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
153 
fresh cut loam) the soil ferments on being put in the 
water, and often kills the bulbs. It is therefore best 
at once to prepare the required quantity, and let it 
remain until wanted for the re-potting in March. 
The best compost is turfy yellow loam (broken up 
by the hand) eight parts, cow dung one part, and 
sharp sand one part. A handful of sand should also 
be placed immediately about the tubers in the potting. 
— J. 
BEETROOT. 
Associated as it is during its season of growth 
with such hardy subjects as the Carrot and Par¬ 
snip, the comparative tenderness of the Beet is apt 
to be overlooked, and the occurrence of a night or two 
of hard frost acts adversely to the keeping qualities of 
the roots. Wishing to leave the roots in the ground 
as long as possible we have experienced one or two 
narrow escapes from sudden visitations of frost. The 
ridge outside, covered with 6 ins. or 8 ins. of soil, and 
in such a position that the sun will not shine on it 
in May and June, if it should be desirable to preserve 
them till that time. The ridge might have an extra 
covering of litter in severe weather, and the same 
material would serve the purpose of intercepting the 
sun’s rays should a sunless position not be available. 
The varieties we grow are Dell’s Crimson, the Pine 
Apple, and sometimes Nutting’s and Cattell’s Crimson, 
and they stand in our estimation in the order named, 
because they grow to the size we require them, and 
possess all the good qualities desirable in a Beetroot. 
A root that will yield slices 1^-ins. to 2 ins. in diameter 
is more appreciated than one of 3 ins., a size which 
the last-named variety frequently attain, and they are 
put on oneside forconsumptionlater in the season, when 
they do not give rise to so much complaint. When 
dealing w r ith light sandy soil in a warm district, 
we grow more of this than any other sort, as the 
smaller varieties seldom produced more than an inch 
or two of length fit for slicing.— North. 
in beauty for a day. It is a native of the Levant. 
The Easter Lily is L. candidum, but why so named 
I am unable to learn. The Guernsey Lily is Nerine 
sarniensis, a native of Japan; possibly so named 
because this species is so largely grown in Guernsey, 
from whence the supply of bulbs for the Londcn 
market is mainly drawn. The Jacobtea Lily is 
Amaryllis formosissima, but I cannot get any clue to 
its common name. It is a native of South America. 
The Lent Lily is the Daffodil, Narcissus Pseudo- 
Narcissus, and the common name is no doubt 
traceable to its early blossoming; and it is said to be 
of Cornish origin. The Lily of the Amazon is 
Eucharis amazonica, and is probably so named 
because being a native of New Grenada. The Lily 
of the Field is Sternbergia lutea, possibly alluding to 
its abounding in the fields of the south of Europe, 
and the East, of which it is a native. 
The Lily of the Nile is Calla jEthiopica it is a 
native of the Cape of Good Hope, and has probably 
become naturalized on the banks of the Kiver Nile. 
A QUIET NOOK IN THE GARDENS AT WOOLTOX WOOD, NEAR LIVERPOOL. 
Beet crop is with us the most important in the 
garden, being in daily use from November till June. 
One year, indeed, we sent the last into the kitchen 
on July 11th, and had the new ones ready early in 
August, which I thought would give extra gratifica¬ 
tion to my employer. But things did not take that 
turn, as I was informed that Beet in August was too 
early a reminder of winter; but why August more 
than June or July I was at a loss to perceive. How¬ 
ever, it was another instance of the inconsistency of 
human nature, and deterred me from attempting 
again to bridge over the short space that existed in 
July and August, and which I regarded as not an 
easy task on a cold heavy soil in the North. When 
lifting the crop every precaution should be taken not 
to injure the roots, for the fewer abrasions they have 
the better the colour is more likely to be. In trimming 
the tops some make close transverse cuts, but I prefer 
to make them obliquely so that the portion of top left 
is tapering, which gives them a neater appearance, 
and the process is equally expeditious. Many sheds 
are not suitable for storing the roots in, being either 
too warm, or having no facilities for excluding frost, 
and in such cases I should prefer to place them in a 
POPULAR NAMES OF PLANTS. 
It is singular how many plants there are that bear 
the popular name of Lily. Now the term Lily is of 
unknown and very ancient origin, and it is used in 
some Oriental languages for a flower in general. It is 
said by some that Lily is from the Celtic li, white, but 
it is applied to flowers having colours quite in contrast 
with white. Thus the Blue African Lily is Agapanthus 
umbellatus, from the Cape of Good Hope. The 
Bourbon Lily is the common white L. candidum. 
This is a native of Syria and Asia Minor, and is the 
badge of the Bourbon family. The Brisbane Lily is 
Eurycles australasica, a stove bulb and a native of 
New Holland, but why it bears this common name I 
am unable to say. The Canadian Lily is L. canadense, 
it is a native of North America, and bears orange- 
coloured flowers. The Cuban Lily is the blue-flowered 
Peruvian Squill —• Scilla Peruviana — a native of 
Spain. 
The Day Lily is Hemerocallis ; and H. fulva, and its 
varieties, is one of the best-known in our gardens. 
The generic name, Hemerocallis, from hemero, a day, 
and hallos, beauty, suggests the common name also : 
The Lily of the Valley is Convallaria majalis, the Lily 
of combes or hollows, a name passed from Cant. ii. 1, 
“ I am the Lily of the valleys,” but not the flower 
meant by the author, for this our English flower 
does not grow in Palestine. L. candidum is also 
known as the White Garden Lily, and the Madonna 
Lily, and it is easily understood why it is so 
termed. The Mexican Tiger Lily is Tigridia, 
Mexico being the original habitat of this gorgeous 
flower. The Orange Lily is L. aurantiacum of some ; 
L. bulbiferum of others ; while it is regarded as 
L. croceum by another body. It is the badge of the 
House of Orange. The Scarborough Lily is Vallota 
(amaryllis) purpurea, a native of the Cape of Good 
Hope ; but why so named I cannot say. St. Bruno’s 
Lily is Anthericum liliastrum, but the reason for 
naming it so is not clear. The Tiger Lily is Lilium 
tigrinum, the tiger-spotted Lily of China. 
Calla .Ethiopica is also known as the Trumpet Lily. 
The Scarlet Turkscap Lily is L. ehalcedonicum, a 
native of the Levant, and so named because of the 
shape of its flower. The White Wood Lily is 
Trillium grandiflorum, which abounds in North 
America.— E. W. 
