The St. Johns herald., 1891-09-17
7 THE SACRED LILY.
A Chinese PIent Which Has 8 Peculiar
 Manner of Growing,

man0ef OI OrOWmS'
 The sacred lily of China, a most pe- culiar plant in appearance and manner of growth, is now extensively cultivated by many of the lovers of plants in Maine, says the Lewiston Journal, the bulbs having been brought originally to this country by Chinese merchants do- ing business in San Francisco, and by them sent east to their countrynen The growth of the plant makes plain two facts: One, that it gathers solid ma terial from the air and water, the other that it is nourished by pieces of coal and small stones without reducing the weight. If the bulbs be placed in water in some deep dish and nearly submerged there will appear, if stones or very coarse gravel be plenty, white. stringy roots which shoot outward from the base, while from the top will grow flat, palm-like stalks of deep sea-green. When the lily is twelve inches high there blossom delicate and beautiful white flowers. Placed in earth or sub merged in water without the stones tlTe bulb lies inert. The stones need not be placed so as to hold the bulb. which in time will float, bearing up it's stalks and flowers. It is said these floating beau ties are seen in great profusion in many parts of China.
 Once upon a time, according to the Chinese tradition, there lived in China 9 rich farmer who had two sons. UpOr one side of the road his land was high here he cultivated his tea-gardens, and so fertile was the soil that hls early crop; were much sought after. Upon the othel side of the road the land was low-hal1 swamp and half ledge, where the night heron hunted undisturbed the croaking bull-frog. When he died the farmer made his eldest son his executor, telling him to divide between himself and the younger brother This he did by taking the fragrant tea-gardens along the up- land unto himself, giving the other the swamp. The latter repaired to his wet inheritance, and realizing neither rice nor tea could be made to grow, seated himself and began to cry. But a fairy came along the road in the shape of 8 sacred white elephant, and hearing the vail of the youth bade him be of good cheer, and took from out it's trunk one of these bulbs. ''Plant it on your land" |" it said, ''and soon shall your swamp blossom as tea-garden never did; you shall grow rich and shall be man. darin." And the youth so planted, and To! soon there came unto the air sweet odors, and the white petals bent to the gentle breeZes in great profusion, hiding all the former aroma of the tea-gardcns. People came from near and far and bought the beauties, and thus the younger son grew in riches and entered the third degree Of state in the king dom. When the older brother saw this he sold bis tea and then undertook the purchase of thousand bulbs. But the price was high and he must needs give a mortgage on the tea-gardens. Now, in high glec he planted the bulbs upon the dry and fertile soil, and in tending them he forgot to cultivate his Oolong. But the bulbs withered away, and when the Maytime came there were no first crops to pick in the tea-gardens; he could not take up his mortgage, and the younger brother became lord of the whole territory, and the Emperor came and planted over his house a yellow flag whereon there was dragon all in gold. But the elder brother never was man darin, and ever after labored in the tea-gardens for his younger brother, the mandarin of the sacred swamp.