MAiicii IT, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



41 



Easter Lilies Grown From Seed at the Wild Plant Improvement Gardens, Santa. Ana, Cal. 



iiiyiii. Tho success of tliis uin't'i'taking 

 \\;is (|uitc jf ratifying, but tlio percoutage 

 ■ pf loss iu handling tlio hulhs was large 

 I'liougii to show that a good deal must 

 vi't he learned about the growing of 

 llnrrisji bulbs under American eondi- 

 lions. It was also stated, at the time, 

 that several other lots of the same crop 

 lit' bulbs had been sold to the trade and 

 lliiwered witli more or less succi'ss. 



Pierce's Bulb Fields. 



Xfwtun B. Pierce, another enterpris 

 Ni^ resilient of .Santa Ana, is also grow 

 iny the Harrisii bulbs sueeessfuUy from 

 -it^i't], and a part of one of his lily lields 

 i-^ ■<li(iwn in the phnt(igr;ipli which is here 

 reproduced. 



Mr. Pierce is proprietor nt' the Wild 

 I'lant Improvement Gardens, at Santa 

 Vila. (.'al. He says that there is no suffi- 

 'ictit re.'ison why the culture of the 

 l'^:ister lily in California slmuld not meet 

 null commercial success, it' '-iich an en 

 I'Tpri^^i' were properly ])acke(l .'ind prose 

 Such commercial culture, he says, 

 liegiii with proper seed. The work 

 be done in an isolated position, 

 ii'i bulb mites would be introduced 

 grower or his neiylibors, as these 

 uoiijd destroy the industry. The 

 \ears sh(udd be ijevoted to thi! 

 "f plaiit-^ fice Irom tin? Ber- 

 ' |'l:i liK (ii~ic-:i>c and li:i\iiig t!ie needed 

 "■'biK- nt' lloucr a< well ;is tiie habits 

 ' ::io\\tii and 'ce'ding ipialities required. 

 '■ I'l. 1,-r i< convinced that after at- 

 'I'bn^ ti, these prerei|uisites, wiiicii m.ay 

 ' ^eciiicd by caretui wiirk, tiieu suitabli! 

 ' 'iiiid an, I water supjily are ;dl that is 

 •'■e^^ary to assure liie -ucce-;s of the 

 '" !< ill < 'alifornia. 



' I'e le^nll-s of one ot' Mr. Pierce's 

 "lievt t(^t-< are indicate(| iu tiie illiistra- 

 'ii. 'i"he lest was conducted .'is follows: 

 "■'!> \\ei.. p|;int(>d iu flats October o 

 '"I ^^ermiii.Mted in sun fnimes. In three 

 '"I lUiehalt' moiitiis ( .l.'iniiarv ilo ) . tln'V 

 ' '■'■ |iottrd oil' into L' iindi pot- :ind 



■Mted. 

 -Iioulc 

 'houh 

 ^■. here 



'•\ 111 

 |., Mv 



■ l.-rtion 



plunged in sand in cloth houses. Nine 

 months after seeding (July 1), the bulbs 

 were set in the field in a firm, sandy 

 loam, and in rows two feet apart. The 

 land was properly graded, so tliat irriga- 

 tion could be practiced, and each time 

 they were irrigated they were properly 

 cultivated to form a good nu)isture-re 

 taining mulch. I'roper irrigation and 

 cultivation were continued during the fol 

 lowing year, but with no fertilization, 

 and June 1^ to June -0, twenty months 

 and a few days after seeding, they were 

 in full bloom, as seen iu the illustration. 



The necessity for potting the young 

 plants, Mr. Pierce says, may be avoide(| 

 liy planting the seed under cloth or other 

 protection, where they may be grown 

 until of size for jdanting in the (ield. or 

 from August or .September till the fol 

 lowing May or .lune. Seed is harvested 

 from the first part of August ouw.ard. 

 for four to six weeks. The bulbs are 

 matured at the same time by cutting olV 

 irrigation. .Mr. Pierce's bullis produced 

 as high as eighteen llowers to the plant, 

 but comuHiidy eight, ten and twelv.' 

 (lowers. 



The Willi Plant Improvement (iaiden-. 

 iniw owned by Mr. Pierce and used bv 

 liim as the Meld of his operations, were 

 rounded for the rnited States Depart 

 meat of .\yiiculture. ami exchanges weie 

 at that time ori^aui/.ed with the missions 

 of many I'oreign lainN. Seeds of our 

 best economic jilants were sent to tlie 

 mission.ai'ii's in excii.'uigi! for seeds of 

 valu;ibl(> wild plants .and fruit<. known' 

 to the missionaries or to the natives 

 among whom tiiey worked. .Vfter sever.al 

 years of such exchanges, and further ex- 

 changes with botanists in dilVerent jcirts 

 of the world, the Department ol' Agri- 

 culture withdre\y from tiie work and its 

 interest in tlie gardens \\m< piircii.'ised. 

 Tiie large collection of r;ire plant-; thus 

 obtained lias since been iiii re.i-iiil. it is 

 <aic|. ii\ iiiirciia-e and fiirtliei lArlianLJi'. 



A Bulb Forcer's View. 



Kmil Buettner, of Park Kidge, 111., is 

 a large forcer of Kaster lilies and a man 

 w iiose opinion on any subJe'Ct of tr.ade 

 interest is of value. .Mr. Buettner has 

 inspected the bulb fields ;it Santa Ana 

 and last season forced a few iiundreds 

 of the bulbs grown I'roni seeds there. 

 ■•There proved to \tf alioiit as many 

 type*) of plant as there were Imlbs," said 

 .Mr. Buettner. ''Some of tlie plants and 

 llowers were excellent, mid some were 

 not .at all good. In (uder to iie uset'ul 

 to the bulb forcer the ('.-ilifornia growers 

 must turn out an article iliat will give a 

 uniform result. Wh<'n 1 visited tlie 

 .Santa Ana growers I noted in their fields 

 that there were a great nutiiber of types, 

 which ccmdition probabiy must continue 

 as long as the bulbs are urowii t'riun 

 ■^ei'd. thougli it mav in time lie possible 

 to -eii'Ct .a type and ;:iow it ci ref iiily 

 enougii from seed so tiuit a fair part will 

 come true. I told tlie grower^ iliat I 

 thought they wcuild I'aii to get any spe- 

 ei;illy v.aluable commeici.il -i .n-s until 

 liiev Selected some rorlaiii I \ pe oi' lily 

 and ;iiew it from M-ale- or i>lV»eis. so 

 as to ^ei it true. ImiI lliev -.aid growing 

 I loni -eed-i was nei-es>ary in avoid tlie 

 Illy di-ea^e and the mite. S,i I coiicludo 

 ill- <aiil'oiiiia i^iowiis vtill have a i'lllg 

 WAV lo ^o liel'ore !liev liiTonie dailLleroilS 



liiiniiei itiii's o|' iho pre-nii soiii-'-e- '1' sup 



ply"' 



Ivvsr S\i;.\ri .-I . N. V. K ' , |'.,.iie- 



dict states tiial 1 .\pecl- I" -ell his 



luisiiie<s and retire I'roni 'In ilorists' 

 trade. 



i bU'Kl.N.'sV 11.1 i . l^^. Win. r. SiiVtier 

 savs tiial, trade is piekiiiL;' up niei-lv now 

 tiiat spring we.illier ii;is arrived alter a 

 li;ird winter. lie is p|;uiniiii,r to liuilil a 

 silowil0U-<' tili-; siiliillier Mil ihe roiirtii 

 slreet side ol' hl-^ phlee. the ..lie l.llilt 



last season on the .\l;iiii .sirrei -ide' hav i ng 

 \<yi>\ ed ,1 w inner. 



