Class 1.--Lilies which will grow in any good soil: _Tigrinum_, _Bulbiferum_, _Croceum_, _Davuricum_, _Elegans_, _Hansoni_, _Henryi_, etc.
Class 2.--Lilies which require a moderately light soil with a slight admixture of peat and leaf mould: _Auratum_, _Speciosum_, _Longiflorum_, _Krameri_, _Brownii_, _Japonicum odorum_, etc.
Class 3.--Lilies which want a heavy loam, well enriched and of good depth: _Cordifolium_, _Wallichianum_, _Candidum_, _Washingtonianum_, _Humboldti_, _Martagon_, _Testaceum_, _Calcedonicum_, etc.
Class 4.--Lilies which require a large admixture of peat and leaf mould with plenty of sharp sand: _Canadense_, _Superbum_, _Pardalinum_, _Roezlii_, _Leichtlini_, _Philadelphicum_, etc.
Class 5.--Lilies that want a very rich soil with large quantities of well rotted manure and leaf mould of great depth: _Giganteum_, _Monodephum_.
As a matter of fact many lilies will grow in two or three different kinds of soil. We have only given the form of culture by which we have ourselves obtained, or friends have obtained, the best results.
Position is of first importance in the cultivation of lilies. All kinds like partial shade, but not a position overhung with trees. It is best to plant them in a place where they can get the full sun for two or three hours daily, but where they are sheltered from the sun at midday. The position chosen should be well drained, preferably on the slope of a hill, and protected from high winds which can do very serious damage to plants which grow to such a height as these.
The best position in which to plant lilies is a bed devoted to azaleas, rhododendrons, or other shrubs. These protect the bulbs from severe frost in winter and shelter the young shoots from the high winds in spring. Moreover the soil which suits rhododendrons--a peaty leaf mould--is also an admirable soil for many lilies.
We planted a number of lily bulbs among beds of pinks last year, thinking that this situation would afford all that was required. But, alas! we had forgotten an enemy, of which you will hear more later, which has proved the very worst of our foes--the slugs. Oh, those slugs! We go out on a warm morning in March and see five hundred thick, healthy, green shoots, looking like tender asparagus. We have a slight rain in the night and go out next morning to see how our lilies are faring. During the night the slugs have eaten the tops off all those that were most promising!