4 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 376 



herent quality of the bulb itself as well as by many cultural factors prior 

 to and during the forcing period. Some growers consistently obtain as 

 many buds from 7-9 inch bulbs as others do from 8-10 or 9-10 inch bulbs. 

 The flower count on cold-storage lilies usually decreases with the in- 

 crease in length of the storage period. For this reason, it is preferable 

 to use the larger bulbs for forcing, particularly in late summer. Some- 

 times a smaller bulb may give an exceptionally good flower count even 

 on cold-storage bulbs, but this is an exception rather than the rule if the 

 bulbs have been stored for a long period of time. 



Cultural Practices as Related to Forcing 



The successful forcing of Lilium longiiloriim for Easter, as of many other 

 florists' crops, is dependent on the degree to which cultural conditions 

 can be effectively manipulated. Considering the number of bulbs im- 

 ported and the high degree of success of most growers, little can usually 

 be said in criticism of the quality of the bulbs although seasonal conditions 

 under which the lily bulbs are grown, temperature variations during trans- 

 portation, degree of infestation with mites, presence of fungous diseases, 

 and amount of mosaic carried by the bulbs may be contributory factors 

 toward a certain amount of crop losses. 



Experiences with a number of bulb dealers in this country indicate 

 that they are cooperative and willing to make a reasonable adjustment 

 and to assume a fair amount of responsibility when there are justifiable 

 reasons for believing their products to be concerned with crop losses. 

 The grower, on the other hand, often places too much responsibility for 

 crop success or failure on the seeds, plants, or bulbs, and is prone to 

 minimize the care of the materials prior to planting and the cultural at- 

 tention given the crop during its growing period. 



Experiences of a number of years, derived from consultation work witli 

 various growers on lily forcing troubles, indicate that florists who force 

 from one to three thousand bulbs apparently have more trouble than a 

 larger grower who forces annually twenty to forty thousand bulbs. A 

 possible explanation for this is that perhaps the florist with a large 

 amount of money invested in lily bulbs has planned the lily crop as a 

 part of his system of crop rotation, whereas the smaller grower has tenta- 

 tive plans for his lilies to follow a certain crop space but if pinched for 

 planting area he gets the bulbs in where and whenever he can. It requires 

 approximately 18 to 20 weeks from the time of planting for the bulbs 

 to reach the flowering stage. It is far better management to allow an 

 extra two weeks, contingent upon weather conditions and the date of 

 Easter, than to be a week late and have to resort to high temperature in 

 order to flower the plants. 



Pre-Planting Care of Bulbs 



Upon receipt, cases of lily bulbs should be stored in a cool, dry place. 

 Where a bulb storage cellar is not available, a well-ventilated potting shed 

 or building will be quite satisfactory. If kept cool, the bulbs can be 

 held several weeks before planting. 



Temperature readings made on the packing soil around bulbs imme- 

 diately upon arrival at Waltham were around 55° F. when the outside 



