IMPORTANT FLORISTS' PLANTS 153 



If everything goes well most of the plants should give from 25 to over 

 30 flowers per plant. (See figs. 84 and 85.) The highest number we 

 have secured on one plant was 37. If liquid manure be given occa- 

 sionally the flowers will be much larger than those produced by the 

 foreign -grown seedling bulbs. 



"The results secured by the use of American field-grown bulbs of 

 the Easter Lily are not always as satisfactory as they should be. It 

 has been the practice of bulb growers to burn the candle at both ends; 

 that is, to dispose of the flowers and, later on, the bulbs. In order 

 that the field-grown flowers may command good prices it is necessary 

 to cut a considerable length of stem and number of leaves along with 

 the flowers. The consequence is that the bulbs do not mature as well 

 as if the leaves were left on the plant until the maturity of the bulb, 

 and the result of this practice is always unsatisfactory. 



"If the seedling method is given a fair trial the Lily will pay hand- 

 somely. I understand the seedling bulbs grown in Japan are always 

 disbudded to give strength to the bulb. But so far as I have seen, this 

 is not always the case in Bermuda." 



Dr. David Griffiths, also of the Department of Agriculture, has 

 accomplished a great deal in the production of Easter Lilies, and has 

 published several excellent discussions of his methods. It might be 

 of interest to add to the notes of Mr. Oliver a summary of Dr. Griffith's 

 results as published in The Florists' Exchange of Feb. 28, 1920. His 

 17 points are: 



1. Pollinations at Easter will give us ripe seed in early June. 



2. Seed planted in early August will be ready to pot into 2's in 

 November, into 3's in January, and into 4's in March or April. 



3. If well handled, such a progeny will show scattering flowers in 

 June. 



4. All the progeny, whether the plants have flowered or not, can 

 be dried off for four to six weeks in August to September, and 10 per 

 cent to 25 per cent of the largest can be forced for the following Easter. 



5. Instead of planting the seed in August it may be sown the 1st 

 of January, when it will germinate in about one-half the time. 



6. The seedlings will then be ready to pot off in March. 



7. As soon as danger of frost is by these can be put in the open 

 ground 6 inches apart each way. 



8. If suitable fertility and moisture are furnished scattering blos- 

 soms will appear in July and continue until frost. * 



9. The plants which have not blossomed can be potted from the 

 field for Winter forcing. 



10. If not handled in this way the seedlings may be dug and dried 

 off in early October and planted out of doors again November 1, with 

 a good dressing of well-rotted manure after the ground freezes. 



11. These bulbs (from 10) should then be dug the following August 

 or September and potted up for Winter forcing, the smallest and the 

 stem bulblets being held until November to be planted out again to 

 continue the propagation. 



* Here, it will be seen, are some Lilies which have bloomed in seven months. "Would 

 it not be possible," asks Dr. Griffiths, "to produce an early flowered strain which 

 might be sown in September in frames, to germinate in April and be handled like 

 Onion seedlings? After growing during Summer the seedlings could be potted and 

 forced for Easter, being then only 11 months from the germination of the seed." 



