The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-04-04
THE SACRED LILY.
A Chinese Pint Which Has Peculiar
Manner of Growing.

Manner of Growing.
The sacredslily of China, a most Pc
: culiar plant in appearance and manner
IF 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 countrymen.
+, The growth of the plant makes plain
two facts: One, that it gathers solid ma
i 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
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 fat,
palm-like stalks of a 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 the
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 il great profusion in many
parts of China.
Once upon a time, according to the
Chinese tradition, there lived in China a
rich farmer who had two sons. Upon
one side of the road his land was high;
here he cultivated his tea-gardens, and
so fertile was the soil that his early crops
were much sought after. Upon the other
side Of the road the land was low-half
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 fairy
came along the road in the shape Of a
sacred white elephant, and hearing the
wall of the youth babe 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 a man
darin.' And the youth SO planted, and
10! 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-gardens.
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 his 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 glee 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 yellow flag
wllereon there was a dragon all in gold.
But the elder brother never was man.
DARN, and ever after labored in the
tea-gardens for his younger brother, the
mandarin Of the sacred swamp.