— 
sprouting flower stem will not be injured. Do not 
use a hoe near the stake. Some lilies, particularly Hen- 
ryi and Hansonii, often come up early enough to be damaged 
by spring frosts. Others may not appear until June; and | 
have known L.auratum to make no top growth for two years, 
but upon investigating | found a sound, plump, well-rooted 
bulb. 
Water lilies judiciously. Soak the ground when needed; 
then let it dry before another watering. Keep the ground 
moist and cool in Summer with a mulch of leaf-mold or peat 
moss which should be put on at the advent of hot weather. 
Sawdust is being much used as a mulch=-sometimes with unsat- 
isfactory results. It depletes the soil of nitrogen and a- 
vailable phosphorous. If you should use sawdust, you should 
make a generous application of a complete fertilizer with 
high nitrogen and phosphorous content and in addition, for 
each bushel of sawdust add about half a pound of ammonium 
sulphate divided into two or more applications. See circu- 
Laity SOL, Us oe Dept. of A gins cultures 
Well rotted manure makes a good winter mulch for most. 
lilies, but remove it in the Spring before growing weather 
Comes. Spring muich encourages early growth which may get 
frosted. The temperature next to a straw mulch may be five 
or six degrees. cooler than the surface of nearby soil not 
mulched. That is enough difference to lose lilies. If that 
mulch is applied in the Fall before the ground freezes, 
rodents may move in and spend the Winter eating your bulbs, 
lt has happened to me. Remember that mulch is not to prevent 
freezing of the soil; but rather to keep it from thawing. 
Shallow-rooted plants make good summer ground cover for 
lilies. 
Fertilizing is probably the most controversial subject 
in lily culture. |! may err in applying too little, but | 
think that slower growth makes a better rooted bulb of firm- 
er texture. If an extra year or :two is required to grow a 
salable bulb that way, | have lots of time. Do not allow raw 
fertilizer to come in contact with the bulb. | like to use 
bone meal when planting. It is slowly available and lasts. 
Experiments have shown that lilies need nitrogen in the 
Spring, but after blooming require mostly phosphorous and 
potash. The use of cow manure as a winter mulch pretty well 
takes care of Spring needs and two or three light side 
dressings of a 3-10-10 commercial plant food in early 
Summer seems adequate. The so-called trace elements added 
to plant food have given wonderful results with lilies and 
| hope all fertilizer manufacturers will soon find it nec- 
essary to. add) them, 
| have tried foliar feeding in a small way without evi- 
dent harm to lilies. It is too soon to determine the bene- 
fit. 1 used the soluble fertilizer largely because it con- 
