338 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



they should be put in frames or in a cool, dark cellar, where 

 root action will start q uickly . Those desired for Christinas 

 should be put immediately on benches in a cool greenhouse, 

 and the pots covered with damp sphagnum moss. As 

 soon as the root action is well started, they may be placed 

 in a night temperature of 50. This may soon be in- 

 creased to 60, and later to 75. The tops should be well 

 developed, and the buds well above the foliage, six weeks 

 before Christmas. The bulbs are not uniform in their 

 flowering habit, and under the same conditions it is not 

 possible to have them all in bloom at one time. The buds 

 should be opening nine or ten days before Christmas, and 

 the plants then placed in a comparatively low tempera- 

 ture to harden them for the holiday trade. 



Lilies which are not in flower for Christmas may be 

 brought into flower later, for they are always in demand. 

 Lilies for Easter should be brought into the houses by the 

 middle of December, and forced the same as those for the 

 Christmas sale. If there is a tendency for the stems to 

 be short, the plants may be put in a reduced light, which 

 may increase their length. Lilies designed for summer 

 flowering should be kept in a very cool house until the 

 middle of May, and then given a moderate temperature 

 and an abundance of air, to produce good strong stems and 

 large flowers. 



As soon as the buds are well developed, they should be 

 cut, placed in a cool cellar, and allowed to open gradually. 

 Such will have better keeping qualities. If they are de- 

 sired for fall trade the bulbs are kept in cold storage until 

 about the middle of July, and are then potted and treated 

 the same as the others. 



Lilium speciosum var. rubrum is especially good for 

 forcing. After the bulbs are potted in July, they should 



