HORTICULTURAL SPECIALIST 1 

LILIUMS 
These are one of our leading specialties of which 
we grow a large collection. Varieties like candidum 
and testaceum are ready in August while numerous 
varieties can be planted in September and during 
October which latter is probably the month par excel- 
lence for the greatest number of varieties. November 
is an admirable month in which to plant such late 
flowering Lilies as sulphureum, speciosum, auratum, 
Formosanum, tigrinum and other varieties. Fall is 
a vastly better season for planting lilies than spring 
but at the latter season moderately good results can 
be had with regale, Henryi, speciosum, Henryi, um- 
bellatum, elegans and a few other varieties. 
Very successful Lily plantings can be made in 
December and January. If ground is mulched to ex- 
clude some of the frost and plantings made at that 
time they will be sure to give much stronger spikes 
than if work is delayed until spring. Many kinds, 
including virtually all European and North American 
varieties, do very poorly spring planted and even of 
the Asiatic varieties some will lay dormant for a 
year and usually come up vigorously the next spring. 
Drainage is far more important than soils for all 
Liliums. Stiff retentive soils can be materially im- 
proved by adding fine coal ashes, gravel, coarse sand, 
peat moss, partly rotted leaves and well decomposed 
manure. Never use fresh animal or chemical manures 
for lilies, bone meal is excellent for all varieties and 
well rotted manure is perfectly safe. All lilies love 
leaf mold and most of them like peat moss. 
Lilium candidum enjoys a well sweetened soil and 
ought not to be covered over 2—2% inches. Varieties 
like the umbellatums, elegans, tenuifolium, martagon, 
amabile and various other kinds with small bulbs 
should be planted 4-5 inches deep while heavy stem 
rooting varieties like Henryi, sulphureum, regale, 
speciosum, auratum, Hansoni and many North 
American lilies succeed best with 8-10 inches of 
soil over them. It is good policy to place a layer of 
coal ashes or coarse sand below bulbs at planting 
time and some above them. A mulch of peat moss or 
old rotted manure as a summer mulch is good for 
all lilies. Lilies do not need much winter mulching, 
in sections where obtainable cranberry tops are 
admirable as the wind does not move them. Other 
suggested coverings are salt marsh hay, leaves, and 
straw. These need boards or some other material to 
hold them in position. 
All lilies will grow in full sunshine but in partial 
shade, flowers will last longer and hold their color 
better. A number will succeed well in open woodlands. 
None should be planted very near coarse growing 
perennials. Watering should be looked upon rather 
as a necessary evil than an advantage, heavy water- 
Ings will often start rotting of the bulbs. In cutting 
lily stalks, leave a moderate piece of stem, if cut 
clear to the ground, bulbs will be much weakened. 
In saving seeds select the strongest plants and leave 
ony one or two pods to each stalk, heavy seed pro- 
duction is very weakening. 
The two principal diseases of lilies are botrytis 
and mosaic. Candidum, testaceum, and sometimes 
regale and other varieties are affected by botrytis. 
Spraying with Bordeaux once a week from the time 
growth starts until bulbs are well formed is a good 
preventive. Mosaic is a much more deadly menace and 
being in the bulbs, plants will apparently thrive for 
a time and then die away. Auratum bulbs from J apan 
