But it is not the prize specimens of _L. Auratum_ which are the most beautiful. Plants bearing four to six blossoms give the finest effects, for here each flower has room to fully expand, and so the extreme elegance of the blossoms can be appreciated. In plants bearing twenty or thirty blossoms on the other hand, the general effect from a distance is one of extreme luxuriance; but on closer examination the effect is not so striking, for the individual blossoms cannot be perfectly formed, and the result is often bizarre and unsatisfactory. _L. Auratum_ has an extremely strong scent, which though pleasant in the garden is far too overpowering in a room. In no lily does one meet with such great variety as in this species. The blossoms are exceedingly variable; but there are some varieties which are sufficiently marked and constant to have gained special names. There are eight named varieties of _L. Auratum_, and the difference between them is so striking that a person without previous knowledge would take them for separate species. We append in tabular form the chief differences between these eight varieties. All these varieties are fine, and are all worth growing; but some are expensive, and some are very difficult to cultivate. Of all the varieties we prefer that known as _Platyphyllum_. Its fine large foliage, immense and gorgeous blossoms, and its hardy constitution, make this lily the most desirable of all. Indeed, we would put a well-grown sample of _L. Auratum Platyphyllum_ in its perfection as the most beautiful of all the vegetable productions of our planet. A few years ago _L. Auratum Platyphyllum_ was a very rare lily; but last year this lily did exceedingly well, and consequently very good bulbs can now be obtained at a cheap rate. All over the country this variety did well last year, and many were the correspondents who wrote in enthusiastic measures to the various papers about this wonderful plant, which not a few of the writers imagined they had discovered. The variety _Wittei_ is a most beautiful one, but it is difficult to grow, and is moreover rather expensive. The red varieties of _L. Auratum_ are fine in their way, but are a little crude in colour and not altogether satisfactory. The cultivation of _L. Auratum_ and its varieties does not present much difficulty. A well-drained peaty soil with plenty of sand suits it well; but the soil must not be too loose. A few lumps of clay may be placed round the plants if the soil is too sandy. No manure should be placed near the bulbs, but a good dressing of rich old manure may be applied to the plants with advantage as soon as the shoots are a foot high. If grown in a good soil and looked after carefully, _L. Auratum_ does not degenerate, but increases and improves year after year. Both the type and the varieties are perfectly hardy.