NATIONAL COUNCIL OF HORTICULTURE 55 



the Bermuda Easter lily twenty-five years ago. Prior to that time, lily 

 bulbs were obtainable only from Japan and Holland, and the sources 

 of supply were very uncertain, besides which, the bulbs often reached 

 this market too late to force for Easter. Under these circumstances, 

 the advantages of the Bermuda Easter lily were immediately recog- 

 nized, as the bulbs could be brought here in July and August, so that 

 not only was it possible to force them for Easter, but they could even 

 be brought into flower by the holidays, so that the Bermuda Easter lily 

 has become one of the most important flowers, especially for the 

 Easter season, and is now grown in immense quantities. 



I introduced the commercial culture of the Bermuda Easter lily in 

 Bermuda about twenty-five years ago, and for many years I believe 

 that one-third of the revenue of the Bermuda Islands was derived from 

 the culture and sale of this bulb. It has been grown there in immense 

 quantities, the normal output for many years being two million bulbs 

 and up, one year having reached as high as four million. Unfortu- 

 nately, with bad cultural methods, the quality of the bulb has deterior- 

 ated ; still, the Bermuda-grown lily is an important factor. But the 

 Japanese bulbs have made great inroads into the demand for the 

 Bermuda bulbs, on account of the lower price for which the former can 

 be supplied, and the fact that by reason of more rapid steamers and 

 transcontinental railroads, it is possible to bring the bulbs here as early 

 as September ; so that the Bermuda lily does not occupy the important 

 position to-day that it did fifteen years ago. 



Among other bulbous flowers, the lily of the valley is one that has 

 held its supremacy. This always has been, and probably always will be, 

 in great demand; while other bulbous stock, like tulips, narcissi, and 

 especially hyacinths, do not occupy the prominent place to-day that 

 the}' did in former years. In the larger cities, especially in the East, 

 they are not very profitable. They are more largely grown in the 

 middle west and in interior towns, where the supply of roses, carna- 

 tions, and the other finer flowers is more or less limited. Bulbous stock 

 is more largely grown in Europe than in this country, because, owing 

 to the lack of sunlight there, roses and carnations can not be pro- 

 duced as easily as they are here ; so that the Europeans are more 

 dependent on bulbous stock; but, recently, English growers have found 

 that by following the American method of using shallow benches and 

 building very light houses, very good results can be obtained. This is 

 especially so with carnations, English growers having learned that they 

 can do much better with our improved American varieties than with 

 the varieties that they have grown heretofore, and there is beginning to 

 be a large demand for our newest and best sorts. 



In the character of the greenhouses devoted to the cultivation of 

 cut flowers there has been a wonderful advancement in the past twenty- 

 five years. Twenty-five years ago 11-foot houses were in the majority. 

 Then came houses 18 to 20 feet in width, and when, fifteen years ago, 

 we built a range of four iron houses, each 20 feet by 300 feet, it was 

 considered a model range, being much in advance of anything that had 

 been built up to that time; but during the last five years especially, 



