LILACS 
More than thirty years ago it was our good fortune 
to visit the nursery of Victor Lemoine at Nancy, France, 
and to see the wonderful development he had made in 
the lilac. We were so greatly impressed with the beauty 
of these modern lilacs that we secured a collection of 
all the varieties he had at that time and have, ever 
since, been importing each year, from his firm and other 
growers, every new lilac as introduced. From our tests 
of these plants we have come to the conclusion that 
nearly every lilac of note, with few exceptions, has been 
produced by Victor Lemoine—born October 21, 1823, 
died October 12, 1911—or by his son, Emile Lemoine. 
Our lilacs are well grown in nursery rows with sufficient 
space between to insure good growth. The dark single 
varieties, we find, are not such fast or robust growers 
as the double forms, and in these dark colored single 
kinds the plants will not be so sturdy as in other varieties. 
Lilacs absolutely require good drainage, and it is 
useless to try to grow them in damp or badly drained 
soils. Ground bone, a mulch of manure in the winter 
and good cultivation are very beneficial to them. As 
they like sun and air, for the very best results, they 
should not be planted nearer than ten feet. They will, 
however, grow well if rather crowded, but will not make 
finely shaped bushes. 
In regard to pruning, it is rather difficult to give in¬ 
structions, as different plants require different treat- 
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