The Chinese lily is considered a most wonderful and choice flower. It is certainly very popular and extremely fashionable, and is supposed to be a "Sacred Lily" of the Chinese. Although it may be really the Sacred Lily of the Chinese, it is said to be the same thing as our own old Roman narcissus, and if this were known it would scarcely occupy the place of a new and rare thing (to say nothing of its being foreign), nor would it command the prices which it now sells for. Notwithstanding all this, it is very sweet and beautiful, and should command the interest of all flower lovers. Each bulb of blooming size, if rightly treated, will usually give six flower stalks, each stalk bearing several flowers.

To grow this lily use a large flat deep dish, or bowl. First put in pieces of charcoal, then the bulb in the center, and then fill with pebbles, keeping the dish filled with water. Set all away in a dark warm place, like a cupboard, until the roots grow. When the roots are formed, bring the plant into the light and warmth. The leaves will grow better if a funnel made of stiff paper is fitted over the dish. The funnel should have an opening at the top about an inch in diameter. When the leaves appear at the opening, take away the funnel and place the dish in a sunny window. You will be greatly pleased with the number of buds that soon appear, and much interest will be manifested in the flower.

Chinese lilies may also be cultivated in pots with great satisfaction. Take a four inch pot, fill it with soil of a rather sandy character, and cover the surface of the soil with a layer of moss, which should always be kept damp. The bulbs may be planted any time from November to May. They must, in order to succeed well, be properly watered, shaded, and cared for. They require plenty of sunlight when flowering. Although the fashionable manner of growing these bulbs is to put them in water, as first described, I have always had better success when growing them in pots of earth, the largest bulbs having sent up as many as twelve flower stalks completely filled with flowers.

Notwithstanding the fact that sometimes enormous prices are asked for this variety of polyanthus because it is foreign, new and choice, it is quite as abundant as many other bulbs which sell for much less. It is certainly very beautiful, and one must always pay a little more for style.

The Stag's Horn Fern, which is so odd, will grow in the house during the winter, if it is fastened to a piece of wood and set in a hanging pot, or basket, so that it may grow over the sides like a vine. It must be sprinkled quite often. It will grow well in almost any location, from a north window to a south one.