the Lily, in botany: A genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the hexandria class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 10th order, Coronarie. The corolla is hexapetalous, and campanulated, with a longitudinal nectariferous line or furrow; the capsules connected by small cancellate hairs. There are many species; all of them bulbous-rooted, herbaceous, flowery perennials, rising with erect annual stalks three or four feet high, garnished with long narrow leaves, and terminated by fine clusters of large, bell-shaped, hexapetalous flowers of exceeding great beauty, of white, red, scarlet, orange, purple, and yellow colours.

Culture. All the species are propagated by sowing the seeds; and if care is taken to preserve these seeds from good flowers, very beautiful varieties are often produced. The manner of sowing them is as follows. Some square boxes should be procured, about six inches deep, with holes bored in the bottoms to let out the wet: these must be filled with fresh, light, sandy earth; and the seeds sown upon them pretty thick in the beginning of August, and covered over about half an inch deep with light sifted earth of the same kind. They should then be placed where they may have the morning sun; and if the weather proves dry, they must be watered at times, and the weeds carefully picked out. In the month of October the boxes are to be removed to a place where they may have as much sun as possible, and be secured from the north and northeast winds. In spring the young plants will appear, and the boxes are then to be removed into their former situation. In August the smallest roots are to be emptied out of these boxes, and sown over a bed of light earth, and covered with about half an inch depth of earth of the same kind sifted over them. Here they must be watered, and shaded at times, and defended from the severity of winter by a slight covering of straw or pease-haulm in the hardest weather. February, the surface of the bed should be cleared, and a little light earth sifted over it. When the leaves are decayed, the earth should be a little stirred over the roots; and in the month of September following some more earth sifted on. In the September of the following year, the roots must be transplanted to the places where they are to remain, and set at the distance of eight inches; the roots being placed four inches below the surface: this should be done in moist weather. They will now require the same care as in the preceding winters; and, the second year after they are transplanted, the strongest roots will begin to flower. The fine ones should then be removed at the proper season into flower beds, and planted at great distances from one another that they may flower strong.

Medical uses. The roots of the white lily are emollient, maturing, and greatly suppurative. They are used externally in cataplasms for these purposes with success. The common form of applying them is boiled and bruised; but some prefer the roasting them till tender, and then beating them to a paste with oil, in which form they are said to be excellent against burns. Gerard recommends them internally against dropsies.

The Kamtschatence, or Kamtschatka lily, called there faranee, makes a principal part of the food of the Kamtschakans. Its roots are gathered by the women in August, dried in the sun, and laid up for use: they are the best bread of the country; and after being baked are reduced to powder, and serve instead of flour in soups and several dishes. They are sometimes washed, and eaten as potatoes; are extremely nourishing, and have a pleasant bitter taste. Our navigators boiled and eat them with their meat. The natives often parboil, and beat it up with several sorts of berries, so as to form of it a very agreeable confection. Providentially it is an universal plant there, and all the grounds bloom with its flower during the season. Another happiness remarked there is, that while fish are scarce the faranee is plentiful; and when there is a dearth of this, the rivers pour in their provisions in redoubled profusion. It is not to the labours of the females alone that the Kamtschakans are indebted for these roots. A species of mouse saves them a great deal of trouble. The faranee forms part of the winter provisions of that little animal: they not only gather them in the proper season, and lay them up in their magazines, but at times have the instinct of bringing them out in sunny weather to dry them, lest they should decay. The natives search for their hoards; but with prudent tenderness leave part for the owners, being unwilling to suffer such useful caterers to perish.