Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-05-24
THE HOME OF THE EASTER LILY.
How the Lilies Are Grown by the
Acre in Bermuda.

Country Gentleman. When easter
approaches, the lovely sunlit island of
Bermuda begins 70 pour into this
county her beautiful lilies, and every
steamer that comes up from the rop-
zeal island Of the Atlantic unloads at
New York cargoeS of flowers that
watt to our senses the fragrance of
warmer climes Visitors go down from
this port to Bermuda by the hundreds,
and return laden with freshly gathered
lilies as mementoes of the occasion.
Every florists shop soon becomes a
MINIATURE Bermuda lily field, and
homes. churches and public inStitu-
tons are oranmented with the fra
grant flowers. For a brief space of
time all other flowers are forced into
the background while the famous
Easter and Bermuda lilies reign SUI
preme in the lap OF fashion and popu-
larity,
Bermuda is really the home of the
lily, and in no other country on the
face of the globe can such lilies be
propagated so early, rapidly and sue
cesSfully BY methods of cultivation
and forcing, the growers can make the
lilies bloom as early as the first of
December but the main crop comes
along In February and early spring
Then the fields are abloom with the
fragrant flowers, and whole acres of
white lilies will dot the landscape.
The florists of the island grow lilies
the same as they grow potatoes No
one there thinks of cultvating the
flowers for the beauty they exhibit
nor for the sweet fragrance with
which they lade the air. The cult
vators are practical farmers, the lily
crop Is profitable one, and they
plant the bulbs In large fields the same
as they do their potatoes and onions
The climate of Bermuda is a delight
full one The island is never visited by
frosts or drouths, and it is like one
perpetual sprins the year round. Gar
deners can cultivate their fields any
month of the year, and crops are kept
maturing right along, The soil is Of
a reddish brown, but very productive
and fertile. Everything planted in it
will grow and yield good crops, Fruits
are grown there in considerable guam
tity, but for some reason they never
amount TO very much, with the eNcep-
ton Of the small bananas. Bermuda
is essentially a land Of three things
lilies, onions and potatoes No other
combination of products could seem
more curious. The cultlvators of the
soil are only florists by accident, and
very few of them know much about
scientific Horticulture. Their knowledge
of flowers generally begins and ends
with lily propagation. They grow
them for revenue only, and this is
probably the quickest way Of saying
that they are well grown There is,
however, more or less of a mixture of
lilies in the fields, and many gardens
will have the longiforum and Harisii
lilies growing side by side. This con-
fusion is the result OF ignorance or
carelessness and importing florists in
New York condemn It most emphatic
ally. 1t requires an expert eye to
separate the bulbs of the two vari-
cites, and the confusion often causes
quite a little expense
The natives propagate the Bermuda
lilies by Shells" or scales, as we
would call them, and these are sown
thicllly in rows about foot apart If
the soil is rich, small bulbs will soon
spring up all around, and in many
II ssf-y IL
will be produced In one season. 1t
requires two years growth to produce
the large Dubious lilies which we see
in market, and very many of the fin
est specimens are three years old.
These old bulbs produce immense lilies
that retail at several dollars a plant
in New York The small bulbs are
taken up in the middle of July from
the bed, and the large ones are sent
to market while the small ones are
kept for planting again about Octo-
Der /. These bulbs are planted in
small beds about six inches apart
Narrow pathways run between the
beds, 50 that the gardeners can crawl
between the rows to cultivate them
This work is done entirely by hand,
and great care is exercised not to In
jure the roots Of the lilies. The bulbs
are shipped to New York in the vari-
Gus stages Of their growth. Some are
very small and others are nearly
ready to produce flowers. In New
York, florists grow the bulbs and raise
their own Bermuda lilies for the
easter trade in their greenhouses; but
the vast majority come direct from
Bermuda in March or April when the
buds are half-matured A field Of
Bermuda lilies is a most impressive
and beautiful sight, and the fragrance
rising from 1t scents the atmosphere
for long distances around.