A NEW DISCOVERY FOR THE LILY LOVER 
Easter Lilies can be Raised to Flowering Size in an Ordinary Greenhouse 
in as Short Time as the Common Perennials for the Open Border 
HOUSANDS of enthusiastic gardeners whose green- 
’ A houses flourish with Easter Lilies, regularly buy im- 
ported bulbs that they might just as well have had 
all the satisfaction of growing. In gardening circles 
it has been so long tacitly accepted that Easter Lilies could 
only be grown from im- 
ported bulbs that we have 
become accustomed to rely 
on the outputs from For- 
mosa for the type (Lilium 
longiflorum) or from Ber- 
muda whence comes the 
very popular Lilium Harrisi 
(variety eximium). But 
this recognized “fact,” like 
a good many others of a 
limiting nature, could not 
stand against real garden- 
ing enthusiasm ; and it has 
been shown that the Lilies 
can be raised from seed in 
this country. 
Of late years Lilies have 
become increasingly pop- 
ular and whilemaintaining 
all their predominance at 
Easter time they have also 
become a very general all- 
the-year favorite. But as 
their popularity has in- 
creased it has been noticed 
with apprehension that the 
imported stock became 
more and more prone to 
disease. 
The discovery and proof 
that the Easter Lily can be 
grown from seed in this 
country is therefore a very 
significant event, especially 
as the home grown plants 
are more healthy and 
stronger than their impor- 
ted rivals. 
The first effort at home 
production was made some 
years ago by Mr. George 
W. Oliver in the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture green- 
houses at Washington. 
Recently the work has been 
taken up by the Depart- 
ment of Floriculture at 
Cornell, Mr. C. L. Chien 
and Mr. A. R. Betchel 
carrying out some very exact investigations under the direc- 
tion of Professor E. A. White, with the result that now we 
can have Lilies whenever we want them. 
T HE little seedling Lilies are grown on under just.the same 
cultural conditions as when Lilies are grown commercially. 
I he flowers are hand pollinated and cross fertilization is essen- 
tial. When the stigma is fertilized by pollen from the same 
flower the resulting seeds are not only few in number but those 
IN BLOOM FOR THE SECOND TIME IN EIGHTEEN MONTHS FROM SEED 
Few attempts to raise bulbous plants from seed are ever made by the 
amateur, yet few things will yield returns as substantial within a year 
and a half as these five great fragrant blossoms topping the sturdy stalk 
that are obtained are weak and the plants sickly. Of all plants 
in the garden none are more easily hand pollinated than Lilies 
because the parts are so large and conspicuous. Pods mature 
in about two months. Seeds are sown in October in a soil 
to give good drainage — one-third garden loam, one-third leaf 
mold, and one-third sharp 
sand — in well drained flats. 
The seeds are covered 
lightly with a mixture of 
leaf mold and sand and 
the flats covered with glass 
and set in a temperature 
of 55 degrees. 
In six weeks there will 
be a vigorous crop of seed- 
lings and in three months 
they may be potted off into 
two and one-half inch pots 
in a mixture of one-half 
finely sifted garden loam, 
and one-half leaf mold. 
The plants are kept cool 
and somewhat shaded dur- 
ing the spring and sum- 
mer when growth is slow. 
A bulb forms during the 
summer, and during the 
periods of experimenting 
at Cornell they were twice 
repotted so that by Octo- 
ber they were in six-inch 
pots. At that time a few 
actually began to flower — 
one flower to a stem. 
These were cut and the 
plants repotted. New 
growth immediately starts, 
and another flower stalk 
by April bears three or 
four flowers, strong and 
sturdy — sometimes five 
and six flowers. And after 
all eighteen months is not 
a long time from seed to 
such a crop of flowers. 
Easter Lilies Are Hardy! 
IN ADDITION to the 
1 Cornell experiments 
that show us that we can 
have Lilies indoors when- 
ever we want them, there 
are being carried on at 
Washington investigations 
that promise information and opportunities of even greater 
value and significance. Already they have led Mr. David 
Griffith of the Department of Agriculture, who is in charge 
of the work, to declare that as outdoor garden flowers Easter 
Lilies “go through both our severely cold and severely warm 
winters perfectly; and that when properly handled there is no 
more danger from winter injury than there is with Tulips, 
Narcissus, or Hyacinths.” 
The most important single feature of this proper handling is 
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