January 16, 1904. 
TUB QARDBN/NQ WORLD. 
49 
Dundee Horticultural Association and “Semi-Darkness.” 
To the Editor of The Gardening World 
Sir,—W ith reference to “ Semi-Darkness.’ ” letter and inquiry 
at page' 1049 of The Gardening World, Vol. XX., respecting 
his exhibit of Calanthe Veit-chii and Cypripedium insigne at 
the December meeting of this association, permit me to state 
for the credit of the association and enlightenment of your 
readers that this exhibit was judged on its merits and without 
impartiality by two members of the association, one of whom 
expressed the united opinions of both, that the Calantkes were 
large pseudonbulbs, with strong flower spikes, and examples 
of high culture, but certainly not of such outstanding merit as 
to 1 warrant the association awarding a cultural certificate. 
I fear “ Semi-Darkness ” has allowed his disappointment to 
over-rule his discretion, and taken an antagonistic view of the 
judge’s speech .and the aims and objects of the association. 
With reference to Mr. Fenton’s friendly criticism of this 
misrepresentation at page 16, in the main I can only concur; 
still, both Orchids are so' accommodating that any intelligent 
amateur with suitable accommodation might easily achieve the 
success recorded by “ Semi-Darkness ” in his letter. 
If Mr. Penton turns to page 61 of this issue, he will find 
it recorded that a Cypripedium insigne lias been exhibited here, 
growing in a 6-in. pot, with twenty-one well-developed dowers ; 
it had twenty-two, but one was broken in packing. 
In closing I may point out to the readers of “ G. W.” that 
this association only awards certificates for such exhibits as 
show special outstanding merit or extra high cultural skill. 
James Bethel, Secretary. 
Westwood Gardens', Newport-on-Tay. 
Notes on Hardy Lilies. 
Hardy Lilies are amongst the most useful and imposing 
plants in cultivation. They are capable of resisting the hard 
frost of our severest winter; the majority of them wdl increase 
in value and size year after year. To grow Liliums success¬ 
fully in the open ground a good rich and moist loam is neces¬ 
sary. Heavy clay loam may be improved by deep digging and 
incorporating with good stable manure, leaf mould, and mortar 
rubble from old buildings, with a good proportion of lumpy 
peat. The proper season for planting is the autumn, if the 
bulbs ican be obtained in a dormant state, or if established in 
pots the top of the bulbs should be from 4 in. to 6 in. below 
the ground level. Often Lilies lose their leaves and become 
unsightly before the flowering season is over. The cause may 
often be traced to the dry state of the roots or impoverished 
condition of the soil, but ais soon as the resting season com¬ 
mences they 'should be carefully lifted and transferred to a 
more favourable position. 
Lilium auratum, “ .the goldem-rayed Lily of Japan,” and its 
varieties are amongst the most beautiful of the hardy section, 
wliich simply revels in good loam, and, like the rest of this 
family, enjoys peat. It is a beautiful and noble border plant, 
always commanding admiration from lovers of the hardy 
garden. When planted in a position suitable, it often attains a 
height of 6 ft., at the same time producing from ten to thirty 
flowers 6 in. to 8 in. in width. From a batch of imported 
bulbs many varieties are obtained, from almost pure white to 
the most beautifully spotted with crimson, and a band of gold 
running through the centre of each petal. Lilium speciosum 
and varieties, with their highly-perfumed flowers 1 , are all per¬ 
fectly hardy, and, like Lilium a.uratum, will succeed in a mix¬ 
ture of good loam and peat, and should never be allowed to 
suffer for the want of water. They are well adapted for mass¬ 
ing in mixed borders, shrubberies, etc. They comprise a 
variety of colour, from the purest whitei to deep crimson spots 
on a white ground, usually attaining 3 ft. to 4 ft. in height. 
Hemerocallis fulva (Kwanso') fl. pleno', “ Japanese Day Lily,” 
with its large, bronze-coloured flowers, is perfectly hardy, and 
should find a place in every collection. It. is certainly one of 
the handsomest hardy plants in cultivation. There are 
numerous varieties of Hemerocallis, all of which are interest¬ 
ing, and will succeed in almost any ordinary garden soil. They 
are most suitable plants for the herbaceous border, and very 
fragrant. There are variegated forms, which give an orna¬ 
mental appearance where planted. 
Lilium candidum (the Madonna, Lily) is a great favourite 
with all, and is found in almost all the cottage gardens through¬ 
out the country. Its lovely pure white fragrant flowers, pro¬ 
duced on erect spikes from 4 ft. to 5 ft. in height, give it a pre¬ 
dominating appearance in the mixed border, or when grouped 
by itself. It is quite hardy, and, like the varieties of “ Heuiero- 
callis,” will succeed in good garden soil. Lilium tigrinum (the 
Tiger Lily) is a ■well-known species, and one of the hardiest. 
“ Splendens ” is the best form of the tigrinum section, veiy 
strong in its growth, about 4 ft. high, producing from twelve 
to twenty blooms on a single spike during July and August, and 
will prove very attractive when planted in clumps. It is very 
accommodating in its choice of soil, and a desirable acquisi¬ 
tion to the Lily border. 
Lilium Henryi, the most recent addition, an 'introduction 
from China., is a beautiful Lily, quite hardy, with orange-yellow 
flowers. It somewhat resembles Lilium speciosum in habit, is 
veiy vigorousi, and attains a height from 6 ft. to 7 ft. I have 
seen grand examples grown in pots, in which condition it will 
be found useful for conservatory decorating. The soil suiting 
it best consists of good loam, peat, and sharp sand. This 
species will prove an attraction, and rightly become a popular 
favourite. 
Much could be said of these and many other good and well- 
tried varieties, but space wall not allow. 
St.udley Castle Gardens, Wm. Jas. Fenton. 
December 16th, 1903. 
The Seed Order. 
Now that the annual floodtide of seed-lists has set in, remind¬ 
ing' us of the advent of a new year, a few observations upon 
the seed order may not be amiss; especially to the younger 
members of the profession. 
To the young head gardener making out his first seed order, 
the question naturally arises: “With what firm shall I deal 1 ” 
In. souiei cases^ however, this is not an open question,, for the 
time being at least. If you are compelled to' deal with a 
certain firm, then I should say, do so with a, good grace ; make 
a virtue of necessity, and give the firm a fair, impartial trial 
before suggesting any change. If a man ha® a choice in the 
matter, then I would say, begin with a Aim of -some standing 
and repute, although not necessarily of world-wide fame. 
Some men like to have more than one string to their bow. I 
consider it rather bad policy. In these days of specialising, it 
is almost essential to get certain things from specialists, but 
for general purposes it is well, I think, to have your own firm, 
and if you stand by that firm, it will be likely to stand by both 
employer and employee. 
My next observation is, place your order as early as con¬ 
venient ; orders are usually executed in strict rotation, and in 
this connection there must of necessity be some truth in the 
adage, “ First come, first served.” I do not, of course, sug¬ 
gest that films keep two. qualities of seeds, but the stock of 
certain seeds (especially newer varieties) is often limited; but, 
in addition to this, early ordering saves undue hurry, both on. 
the part of seller and buyer. 
When ordering, it is well to depend mainly upon thoroughly 
tried varieties in the various departments. By this I do not 
mean to discourage the purchasing of novelties; it is only by 
the trial of tlie'se' under ai variety of conditions that their 
qualities' can be thoroughly tested, a wise selection made, and 
the standard of excellence gradually raised. I simply advise 
caution, in the matter. It is, for example, better policy to 
buy a pint of a. new Pea than to buy a peck of it. 
Asi to quantities, no hard and fast rule can be laid down. 
Some books on gardening, including Thomson’s “ Gardener's. 
Assistant.,” give a list of the quantities, of the various 
vegetable seeds required to crop, an acre of ground. For ai 
beginner, without any other data to go by, this is a fairly safe 
