20 BULLETIN 962, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
tops cut off and planted at normal depths out of doors to flower the 
next year. The bulbs are without much doubt weakened by this cut- 
ting and quick drying off, but they blossom well again in late July 
in the field and appear to recuperate perfectly in one season. | 
In normal vegetative propagation the flowers in the field should be 
removed when in bud or shortly after they open. If there is a sale 
for them the individual flower stems 4 to 6 inches long may be safely 
taken off, in which case the blossoms can be utilized for formal pieces; . 
but no leafage should be removed from the plants. If there is no 
object in letting the flowers open they can just as well. and more easily, 
be snapped off in late bud. 
Fig. 9.—A block of about 1,500 mature bulbs of the Easter lily being seeded at the 
Arlington Experimental Farm, Va. In the foreground are seedlings of the current 
year. Photographed on July 7, 1920. 
, TIME TO HARVEST FALL-PLANTED STOCKS. 
It must be frankly admitted that the best time to dig the bulbs 
of the Easter lily is not known. It is well known, however, that 
the period over which they may be dug and good results obtained is 
longer than with most bulbous plants. 
With bulbous stocks generally the tops are allowed to die down 
before the plants are dug, but unless a severe drought occurs very 
few of these lilies will die before frost cuts them down in the fall. 
In a field planting nearly all the stems are in vegetative vigor 
when cold weather starts. though a few scattering stems may show 
signs of maturing. 
Probably the best guide to the time of digging is the formation 
of the new crown for the next year’s growth, but to the uninitiated 
this may be difficult to interpret properly. At times the abundant 
