Hebruary J, 190d 
LILIUM AURATUM. 
This lovely bulb is comparatively little 
known to cottage gardeners. So, generally 
uncommon is it that where it happens to 
be seen the beautiful flowers immediately 
arrest attention, and people invariably ask 
what they are. According to a paragraph 
in a recent number of “The: Florists’ Ex- 
change” it would appear that Austvalia, is 
not the only land where . these lovely 
blooms are not appreciated as they should 
be, and yet they grow as easily as thejcom- 
mon garden Lilies so well known ito every- 
body. Mr. Herbert Hemming writes as 
follows regarding the bulbs in America: 
| The annual: importations of Japanese 
lilies have recently come into port, and 
are now being, distributed to different 
parts of the country. Although L.. au- 
ratum, speciosum roseum, album, Mel- 
pomene, &c., are imported annually by the 
thousands, they do not seem to. become any 
the more common in gardens. This is espe- 
cially true of ithe first mentioned. . Un- 
like L. Harrisii,) longiflorum and other 
bulbs used for forcing and then thrown 
away, they are usually planted in gardens 
_with a view to —permanent occupation to 
increase and multiply, so that: one would 
expect, if the plants are at all suited to this 
country they would be more in evidence. 
The usual experience with Lilium 
auratum: is to plant the bulb, which very. 
often does not grow, and. if it does to throw 
up a flower stem, but ~fail to make 
roots, with the inevitable result of exhaust- 
ing the bulb without attempting to form 
a new one to flower the succeeding year. 
Why the bulbs do not form roots could, 
perhaps, be best answered by those curing 
them for shipment. It ismore than likely 
caused by the roots being cut off before the 
‘bulbs are rolled in, the moist clay and 
dried ready for shipment, as they are appa- 
rently ripe and sound when received. 
Ever since the introduction of this mag- 
nificent lily it has been conceded to have 
rather a poor constitution, and. to require 
special treatment; at the same time, judg- 
ing from the writers of a number of years 
ago, it does mot seem to have the. same 
vigor as formerly. It is evidently sue- 
cumbing to commercial methods, and, needs 
the fostering care of the old-fashioned gar- 
dener. 
Henry A. Bright, writing in\ the “Gar- 
deners ’Chronicle” in 1874, says: “In the 
flower garden the finest bed is one which I 
have now had for the last three years. It 
is a bed of Lilium auratum, with dark 
heliotrope growing in between. I take up 
the lly bulbs for the winter, bring them 
on in heat, and then plant them out. They 
are really beautiful, and each year they | 
seem more vigorous. Some have four blos- 
soms, some have six or eight, and one has 
as many as ten.» The strong perfume lies 
heavy on that end of the garden, and I 
think this lily should never be brought 
inside the house. It is curious how the 
blossoms vary; in some the golden stripes 
are so much deeper, in some the dark claret 
spots are so much more numerous.” | 
LHD AUOLNADLAN, GORD EIN. 
_In B. K. Bliss & Son's seed catalogue, 
‘published two years previous, in 1872, the 
following culogistic description is given: 
“Tho golden-rayed queen of lilies is the 
most beautiful of the lily family. It is 
perfectly hardy, and for the adornment of 
‘the flowex garden, the conseryatory or the 
sitting room, it is unrivalled. The whole 
English floral world, on its introduction, 
was jubilant with delight, hailing its ad- 
vent ag an astronomer would the discovery 
of a star of the first magnitude; and in 
every city, both in Europe and America, it 
has received. ovations such as would have 
been dear to the heart of the most am- 
bitious prima donna or the most successful 
POOMU Uti Neca ieee eee ei 
- “Specimens were exhibited the last) sum- 
met in England 6'to 8 ft, in height, with 
upwards of 100 flowers. : ee 
“We have a fine stock of this gorgeous 
lily in splendid condition, some of which 
have been grown. in our own ground for 
the past two years, and are of extra size, 
having producéd from: fifteen to twenty- 
five blossoms the past summer, with no 
more care than the ordinary garden lily. 
Tt is perfectly hardy, having stood out the 
past winter in Massachusetts with a slight 
covering of straw.” ne oe 
Lilium, auratum was first” introduced: 
about 1862, so that it was comparatively 
new at the time the above was written ; 
for all that, the method of treatment ad- 
vocated is good for the present day. Pot 
tihé ‘bulbs in. early spring, nob burying 
thiem'too deeply and using light porous soil, 
such as a mixture of loam, sand and peat, 
placing them in gentle heat until they have 
made both root and top. Plant them out 
in the open ground as soon as alJ danger 
from. frost is past, setting the plants about 
Sin. deep. Good drainage is very essential ; 
failure is almost sure to follow planting 
the newly imported bulbs in heavy, wet 
soil. In every case, where the dormant 
bulb is planted directly in the open ground, 
it is a good plan to surround the bulb 
with good clean sand; this will prevent 
decay and fungoid diseases from reaching 
the bulh from the surounding soil. 
y 
FERN PROPAGATING. 
In dealing with strong plants of ferns, 
they should first be potted in some good 
light. compost, keeping the crowns well 
down into the soil. As soon as they have 
made a few roots round the pots they may 
be turned out, and any crowns that extend. 
a little from. the centre can be separated ; 
the rhizome may be cut through and 
the crown which should have some fronds 
pulled away (not cut through the roots), 
by pulling them out some good reacts may 
be secured. With care they will soon staré 
away again after they have been potted, 
‘and the old plant, if potted up and takem 
care of, will give more crowns (or shoré 
rhizomes) a little later on. A good stock: 
may be worked up in a comparatively short 
time. The chief points are to have the 
potting compost in good condition; and, 
above all, take care that it is not cold whem 
used. Pot the plants and! put them in’ 
close place before the fronds get withered 5 
give very little water until they are re-es~ 
tablished. Somany get the idea that: water 
ix the greatest essential in, fern growing, 
but they are not aquatics} and few subjects 
resent over-watering more than ferns de- 
T do not, of course, recommend. going to. the 
other extreme. ple oo BE ce apie ays 
Pteris serrulata major cristata, that 
which was known as the “Chiswick va- 
riety,” although what appeared. to be fer 
tile fronds were produced freely, the spores 
invariably failed to germinate, yet I always 
found ib was worth propagating in the mam, 
ner described above. It is remarkable that 
while. most of the heavily crested ferns 
come freely from spores, the varieties, with 
the feathery or more leafy fronds fail to _ 
produce spores. . Polypodium. Schneiderr 
and Polypodium Mayii, beautiful ferns, 
have both failed to produce spores, buf: 
haying more spreading rhizomes, they are 
not difficult to propagate. I find these are 
best handled before they get too vigorous, | 
and by taking off the short points, just far 
enough back to get a few good roots, andi 
nursing up the old plants a lot of smaller 
rhizomes may soon be had, and, these, with 
the smaller fronds, make good stock. , 
-Lomaria discolor tripinnatifida is an- 
other beautiful. plumose fern, which whem 
it gets to a fair size may produce some side 
shoots on the stem. By binding a little 
sphaguum moss and peat round, some good: 
roots can be secured before taking then: 
off. It is rarely that fertile fronds are pro- 
duced, but I have had them and raised 
seedlings, and though some have come true, — 
many have reverted to the ordinary dis— 
color. tees 
_In regard to the best time for propa 
gating ferns, more will depend upon the 
condition of the plants tham any particular 
season. To try to do anything in the way 
of dividing up a plant while it is in a sickly 
condition, is to court failure. Get some 
nice young roots round the pots before at- 
tempting dividing them. I find that, witli 
good convenience one time of the year 1s ast 
good aa another, except for those that re- 
quire a period of rest, and with these the 
best time to handle them is early in, the: 
Agricultural and Horticultural 
Society. 
ANNUAL AUTUMN EXHIBITION, MARCH 2, 8, 4. 
THURSDAY —Stud Cattle, Deattzht and Roadster Stock, Horses in Action. 
- Main Building. FRIDAY—Horses inv Action, Flowers, Vegetables, &c., &c. 
-. Horses in Action. 
Apmisston—Ground, 1]; Reserve, 1/; extra 
Concert at 8 pM in 
SATURDAY ___ 
Gates opan at lip. each day. 
JOHN CRESWELL, Secretary 
