30 BULLETIN 962, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Late in the season, say about November 1, it is desirable to go 

 over the beds and loosen the soil around the stems, being careful 

 not to interfere v^ith the bulbs. After the soil is loosened a quick 

 jerk Avill remove the stem and its bulblets, leaving the bulb in place 

 for next season's growth. It is very desirable that this be done in 

 order to prevent the plants from becoming too crowded. Instead 

 of jerking the stem out of the bulb it may be cut off below the bulb- 

 lets where the stem is bare. Deep planting — 6 to 8 inches — is ad- 

 visable for permanent plantings of this kind. 



LENGTHENING THE FLOWER SEASON OUT OF DOORS. 



Bulbs planted at the regular planting time, the 1st of November, 

 will blossom in the climate of Washington, D. C, in early July. 

 If the bulbs are held over and planted as soon as the ground can 

 be worked in the spring they will blossom a month later, and seed- 

 lings grown from sowings made the 1st of January will begin to 

 open about the same time as spring-planted bulbs. These will con- 

 tinue to floAver until frost. 



To get blossoms out of doors earlier than from normal stocks is 

 a little more difficult, but still entirely possible. Bulbs can be put 

 into 4-inch pots and set away at a temperature of 40° F, early in the 

 year. They can be kept in frames and brought to varying degrees of 

 development by spring, wlien they can be knocked out of the pots 

 and set in the open. It will make no difference except to slow up 

 their growth if the temperature goes below the freezing point for 

 short periods a few times after the plants are well rooted. Handled 

 in this way they can be brought to flower at least a month earlier 

 than normal November planted stocks, thus giving blossoming plants 

 out of doors from May until frost. 



REDUCING THE COST OF HEAT IN FORCING. 



By a little maneuvering, and this is always necessary in getting a 

 batch of lilies in blossom for any particular date, methods can be 

 worked out for flowering lilies with much less cost for fuel than now 

 obtains with imported stock. 



Seedlings potted from the field in October, in various stages of de- 

 velopment, can be put into groups according to size and held in 

 frames until the first of the year if wanted for Easter. The most 

 advanced of them will need no heat until a later date, and from that 

 time they can be kept much cooler than is usual with freshly potted 

 bulbs. 



It is suggested that it may be entirely feasible to carry bulbs in 

 ordinary storage so far into the summer that when planted out they 

 can be repotted for winter flowering in the field after as much as a 



