i8o Commercial Gardening 



L. candidum the famous Madonna Lily grows 3-6 ft. high, and lias 

 ivory-white sweet-scented blossoms 3-4 in. across, ten to thirty in a trass on 

 finely grown plants, but more often half a dozen. They appear naturally 

 in the open air in June, but that is too late for the commercial grower, who 

 wants to be first in the market to secure the best prices to pay him for 

 his outlay and trouble. He pays 16s. to 20s. per 100 for his bulbs, and pro- 

 ceeds to put three of them into a 6 -in. (32) pot, in good loamy soil early i# 

 the autumn. The stock is covered with a few inches of soil, and root action 

 soon commences. The plants are then brought into a warm greenhouse, and 

 the increased temperature causes more rapid growth, so that the flowers 

 may be had in March, April, and May, if required. Each bulb or plant pro- 

 duces on an average about six saleable flowers some more, some less and 

 they fetch anything from Is. to 3s. per dozen in the market. The blooms are 

 taken off singly and packed three or four dozen in a shallow box with tissue 

 paper, care being taken to pick oft* the swinging anthers, so that the pollen 

 shall not tarnish the glistening purity of the petals. If not forced too 

 severely the bulbs may afterwards be planted out about 6 in. deep in well 

 drained garden soil, and after a period of one or two }^ears' rest, will be fit 

 for gentle forcing again, that is if the plants are not destroyed in the mean- 

 time by the terrible lily disease. This attacks the leaves in autumn and 

 winter, and if not checked soon cripples the entire plant. The simplest 

 remedy is to syringe the foliage with boiling water in which a little soft 

 soap has been dissolved, or a little liver of sulphur (1 oz. to 4 gal. of water). 

 The liquid must be applied forcibly with a fine-sprayed syringe or sprayer, 

 and the boiling water will not injure the foliage in the least, but it will kill 

 the fungus. 



L. longiflorum. This is the market grower's Lilium par excellence. It 

 is grown by the hundreds of thousands in all parts of the kingdom from 

 bulbs now chiefly imported in immense quantities from Japan, but formerly 

 from the Bermuda Islands, until the fatal disease almost destroyed the 

 industry in those islands. About seven millions or eight millions of bulbs 

 of L. longiflorum are imported annually at present. The natural species 

 grows 2-3 ft. high in China and Japan, has lance-shaped leaves, and bears 

 from 6-12 large tubular bell-shaped pure- white flow r ers on top of the sterns. 

 There are many varieties, such as giganteum, Harrisi, Wilsoni, eximeum, 

 -Takesima. &c., the bulbs of which cost from 36s. to 80s. "per 100 (more or 

 less) wholesale, according to size, condition, &c. By means of forcing and 

 retarding it is s now possible to have Lilium longiflorum in blossom for 

 twelve months in the year. While forcing eats up a good deal of the profits 

 in coal and coke, retarding also cuts into the returns, because rent must be 

 paid for storage to refrigerator companies usually Id. per cubic foot space 

 per month, or from 60s. to 80s. per 100 cub. ft. per annum by special arrange- 

 ment. Some firms, like Messrs. Rochford & Sons, of Turnford, have their 

 own refrigerating apparatus, which, of course, enables them to keep back 

 or place on the market blooms as required. The photograph shows cut 

 stems of retarded L. longiflorum in bud (in the centre), and L. speciosum 



