Lily. Thirty-five species, including the common white lily (L. can-didum), martagon (L. martagon), tiger (L. tigrinum), orange (L. aurantium), bulb-bearing (L. bulbiferum), and their varieties. Besides those already mentioned, the following are especially worthy of cultivation: -

Bronsiartii.

---------------longiflorum.

.Eximium.

Japonicum longiflorum.

Lancifolium album.

----------------punctatum.

----------------roseum.

Orange.

Speciosum rubrum.

Superbum pyramidalis.

Venustum.

With the exception of L. eximium, which is a green-house bulb, all the others are hardy.

Out-Door Culture

The proper time for planting and transplanting them is in autumn, when their flowers and stalks decay, which is generally in August and September, the roots being then at rest for a short space of time, though the bulbs taken up at the above season of rest, may be kept out of ground if necessary, till October or November; the white lilies, however, do not succeed, if kept long out of the earth; and all the others succeed best when planted again as soon as possible. Plant them four or five inches deep, and at good distances from one another.

None of the sorts require any particular culture, for they will endure all weathers, so no more is necessary than destroying weeds among their stems by the hoe, and supporting with sticks.

They may all remain undisturbed two or three years, or longer; nor, indeed, is it proper to remove these sorts of bulbs oftener, for by remaining, they flower stronger after the first year. It is, however, proper to take up the bulbs entirely every three or four years.

Propagation. By Offsets

All the sorts of these roots yield offsets abundantly every year, which, when greatly wanted, may be taken off annually, in autumn; otherwise once in two or three years.

The small offsets should then be planted in beds a foot asunder, and three deep, to remain a year or two; and the large bulbs should be planted again in the borders, etc, singly.

By Seed

This is sometimes practised, but more particularly for the martagons, to obtain more varieties. In antumn, soon after the seed is ripe, sow it in pots or boxes of rich light earth, half an inch deep; place the pots in a sheltered situation all winter, and the plant will appear in the spring; in April, remove the pots to have only the morning sun all the summer, giving moderate waterings; in August, transplant the bulbs into nursery-beds in flat drills an inch deep, and three or four asunder; but, as the bulbs will be very small, scatter the earth and bulbs together in the drills, and cover them with earth the above depth; and having grown here till August or September following, transplant into another bed, placing them eight or nine inches each way asunder, here to remain to show their first flowers, then transplant them finally. - Abercrombie.

Pot-Culture

The following excellent directions, though applicable especially to L. speciosum or lancifolium, are also applicable to others of this genus. They are the practical directions of Mr. Groom, the well-known florist, of Walworth, near London. He says: -

"To cultivate Lilia in the greatest perfection, they should be removed as rarely as possible, and only when the bulbs become too close; for disturbing them is most injurious to their growth and flowering".

Bulbs From Stems

To obtain these from L. speciosum, and the practice would, perhaps, succeed with several others, Mr. Groom placed pieces of turfy peat round the stem, with room for finer peat to be placed next the plant; in this bulbs were very successfully obtained.

Potting

"Grow them in pots of large size, having plenty of drainage, and use peat only, with a little fine sand for the soil. One great point is to keep the bulbs, particularly the largest, at a sufficient depth, to allow room for the stem-fibres to grow freely. When they require repotting, which should only be performed whilst the bulbs are dormant, they should be turned out of the old pots, and the crocks should be carefully removed, so as to avoid injuring the fibres, or even shaking off the earth; the bulbs are then to be repotted in a larger-sized pot, in peat and sand, with good drainage.

Raising Varieties

Mr. Groom observes, that "in hybridizing, care should be always taken to save seed from those flowers which have the best shape; for I believe the form of the future flower is much more dependent on the kind from which the seed is saved than upon that which furnishes the pollen; the pollen generally gives the colour. It is also highly desirable that the flower from which the pollen is taken should be darker than that producing the seed; for I have found in such case3 the seedlings have been much more beautiful (being frequently spotted or striped), than where I have reversed the process. I have seen this occur in so marked a manner in the ranunculus, that I have adopted it as a principle, never to take pollen from a lighter coloured flower." - Gard. Chron.