Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-04-21
LILIES oF1Hc VALLEY.
hew Florists Peeteaot Their Season
81 OCoOmjW0,

81 0IesmlWS.
There IL an. interesting and curious
trade between Germany and this
country in the lily Of the valley.
Many THOUSANDS Of those lily pips."
as they IRE called, the roots, each
with a single tight-wrapped bud, are
imported Mt this season earlier and
later. As the habit Of the plant Is
well known, and 1t may be counted
upon to flower in from nineteen to
twenty-five days after the pip has
been planted in sand and placed in q
forcing house, the importers COM
monty make their contracts in adj
vance with florists, and order in &C.
cordance with these contracts. The
pips come over in the holds OF the
great steamers, twenty-five punched
together, tied with n vegetable fibre
and wrapped in moss. They are thus
delivered to the florists, and then
transferred to the forcing house. In
five or six weeks from the time when
the meaningless looking pips have
left their native German soil the ex.
quisite spray Of dropping white bells,
and the sheaf Of green leaves Is adorn.
ing the jacket Of some young woman
as she trips down Broadway.
When the pips are first planted in
sand they must be placed over steam
pipes for the sake OF the bottom heat,
and kept continuously in a high TEN.
perature until the blossom Is pretty
we'll advanced. They are then re.
moved from the pipes in order that
the time OF blooming may be prolong.
ed. They IRE ordinarily planted in
rough. shallow pine boxes, and spray
after spray Is clipped of as It Is need
ed for bouquets, or roots and oil are
transferred In clumps for potting.
The plants in the original pine boxes
are much less attractive than the
blossom when made into bouquet.
Many thousands Of these lilies are
cultivated in the open air. They
may be set out just as they arrive
from Germany ut almost any time Of
year, and they resist frost with per.
feet hardness. The outdoor lilies
bloom In the spring. and continue
the season for the florists after the
crop of the forcing houses has been
exhausted. When these out door
boomers are exhausted. the florists
have another resource in reserve.
Thousands Of lily pips, on arriving
from Germany, are ut once placed in
cold storage, and kept there at u low
temperature for weeks or perhaps for
months. The development OF the
plants Is thus arrested, and some
weeks before the time when the out
door boomers will have been exhaust
ed, part Of the pips on cold storage
are brought forth and either forced
indoors or permitted to develop nor.
mally In the open air. In this way
the season IL further extended.
Florists find that the lily ofthe val.
ley IL most difficult to manage for
autumn Towering. The period Of de.
velopment Is then ut least twenty
days, and the flowers IRE upon the
whole less satisfactory than In win.
ter and spring.
Beautiful as the foweris 1t IL not
expensive. The pips may be bought
ut retail in November Mt from 30 Ia
40 cents per dozen, or about &l.G
per hundred. The price to the i'm.
porters IL fur below this. and the rate
to florists is such That there Is hand
some profit in the plants when the
cut flowers retail as low as five cents
per spray. As each pip produce,
only one set OF blossoms and the per-
centage OF loss II reasonably uniform
florists know pretty well what &c
count on In forcing the lily Of the
yalley.-(New York Sun.