New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-09

LILIES BY THE ACRE.
A REMARKABLE POND NEAR NORWALK.
CONN. AND HOW IT Is EARNED OUT


Pond lilies have arrived in market remarkably
early this year, owing. the wise heads say, to
the long and severe winter, and the peders in
town are offering for sale great basketfuls OF
the cool, fresh flowers to the public, and gather
ing in a harvest Of dimes and nickels. To be
sure. the lilies close promptly at noon, but if
given plenty Of water they will open again and
be as sweet as ever, and last several days
longer
Just at present Norwalk. Conn. has a unique
fad. lilies and frog saddles and Fourteen Acre
Pond yields a splendid supply OF both. Par
ties on bicycles and in wagons make early
start for the pond and return to town laden
with their spoils as the workingman goes to his
work. 1t is only short distance from the town,
and is in among the hills, and from the road
looks more like a field OF daisies than a pond Of
water lilies, closely is it covered with the
white flowers and green pads. For 10 cents a
half hour a nat-bottomed boat can be hired
from the host at the farmhouse on the hill; but
you must pay the wife for she is the treasurer
Of the concern; and with long pole to push the
boat you are at liberty to pick the lilies to your
hearts content, until the time is up. They
are the ordinary water lily, but very large and
fragrant. and often prettily tinged with car
mine.
The privilege Of picking them for the New
York market is rented out to some Greeks, two
Of whom work barefooted and barearmed in Nat
bOttomed boats from sunrise to noon. and come
in then with four thousand or five thousand
lilies each to prepare and pack them in large
baskets, and take them to the station in time
to catch the II o'clock express in order to reach
the early flower market. They say over TWEEN
ty-fve thousand lilies have been picked since
MI will
comes when in boats will NOW them
down and rake up the debris. and the pond is
cleaned and made ready for the ice crop. Last
winter they gathered ice from eight to twelve
Inches thick
There is something fascinating about gather
Ing water lilies and pungng bare arm into
the cool water to secure a beauty. and disturb
Ing large green bullfrog from his special pad,
and him disappear in the dark water only
to pop up again just out Of reach and slyly
wink at you with his bright eye. But hundreds
are taken from the pond by the frog hunters,
who kill them with small rifles from the boats
and wait until poor froggy floats to the surface
on his back with his hands folded on his gleam
ing white stomach. sacrificed for some cpl
curean palate. The pollywogs, secure from
harm, sport everywhere in all stages. and tur-
Ties from the size Of a silver half dollar TO four
or five inches in diameter poke their spotted
heads between the lily pads and watch you as
you pick the flowers Perhaps snakes abound
there, but the visitors do not seek them, con-
tent with the lilies, frogs and turtles.
The man who rents the pond and the sur
rounding land has rather outgrown his days
Of usefulness. and patiently guards the pond
and watches the small boys who try to gather
lilies from the shore. He pays 500 a year for
the pond and he says sometimes he does not
get it back and perhaps he does not, but prob
ably his wife does, for she says they are pes
tered to death with visitors from all over the
country. He says he is going to buy the pond
and build a tavern and sell lilies and pop beer
to the bicyclists; but the enterprsing Greek
shakes his head and thoughtfully murmurs
NO you die, | buy" But the old man is al
most too deaf to get at the full meaning OF this
remark