Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry ‘N a | Te 
SWF? WM. A. TAYLOR Chief SO’ Te. 
Washington, D. C. PROFESSIONAL PAPER August 12, 1921 
THE PRODUCTION OF THE EASTER LILY IN 
NORTHERN CLIMATES. 
By Davip GrirFitHs, Horticulturist, Office of Horticultural and Pomological 
Investigations. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. Page. 
The choice of method of propaga- Storage: of bulbss2 2 2222 SS 26 
(USE ails NRE SIC diac ne 1 | Sizes of merchantable bulbs________ Ar 
Production on a seedling basis_____ S leeViarietall selections; == sss eae 28 
Production on a vegetative basis___ 16 | The Easter lily in beds and borders_ 29 
Methods of propagation_.._________ 21 | Lengthening the flower season out of 
Controlling bulblet formation______ 24 COOLS ates are ee rein Bee oe 30 
Soulstor Waster: lilies. 2 sc. 24 | Reducing the cost of heat in forcing_ 30 
BPtleRent LTE ys os ee cee ata tt ey Dy ap esistances tO, Cole  eee 31 
THE CHOICE OF METHOD OF PROPAGATION. 
T IS ASSUMED that the grower of Easter lily stocks will start 
with seedlings. He may sow seed each season, but it is more likely 
that he will grow seedlings the first year and propagate vegetatively 
thereafter. When vegetative propagation is chosen the plants must 
be hardy enough to go through the winters safely out of doors. It 
has been amply demonstrated that the lily is sufficiently hardy in the 
latitude of Washington, D. C., to live through the winter either with 
or without a little mulch. The probability is that it will be found 
to be hardy very much farther north. If the grower goes back to | 
seed each year it makes no difference whether the species is hardy 
in his locality or not, for the plants will not be in the open ground 
during the winter. 
The stock plants may be of any standard commercial variety, 
or any two standard varieties may be crossed. Good results have 
been obtained by cross-pollinating the varieties Giganteum and Har- 
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