The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-11
FLORISTS ARE BUSY.
There Is a Great Demand for
Easter Lilies.

For the past two or three weeks the
Topeka florists have been paying strict
attention to Easter lilies watching over
them with the greatest care and forcing
them with heat and moisture to develop
all the blossoms and increase the value
of each plant.
After Easter the big white posy is
quickly forgotten in favor of the NUM-
erous other floral beauties which deck
the window of the florist. But Easter
would not be complete without Easter
lilies, and the florist knows it. TO get
these floral emblems of purity and re-
pose, the bulbs are planted in the hot
house in September. and then watched
carefully, nursed and crowded, to get
them ready for a certain Sunday seven
months away.
The bulbs cannot be raised in the
United States, and are imported, ike
dried onions. from BERMUDA. After the
florist decides it is time to prepare for
Easter, the bulbs are placed In small
pots of earth, containing about a quart
of rich earth, and put in a dark warm
place to sprout. The lily of Easter is a
notional thing, and refuses to grow IN
daylight until it has come through the
ground Then it is put in the hot house
and forced" Slowly. very slowly, l.
creeps up to a height of about 80 inches
and the blossoms appear. A lily usual
~ puts on about five blossoms before II
stops. They come out at the top of the
stalk and lop over so that their weight
will not break the delicate stem. The
stalk is well covered with bright green
leaves, which set off the pure white or
the blossom to better advantage.
The botanical name for the Easter lily
is ''hlium candidum." The lily by any
other name might smell as sweet, but 1t
is doubtful if any one prefers "lilium
candidum" to Easter lily as name Tor
the flower of the Passover.
There are plenty of Easter lilies and
fine ones, in Topeka. There were about
400 plants in the city yesterday Wagon
loads of them were sold today to be
used in church decoration
They sell according to the number Oh
blossoms on the plant, thirty cents a
blossom, and nothing off for cash Pre-
sumfne that there are five blossoms,
which is the average, the plant IS worth
$50. A single blossom is not sold.
Owing to the high price of Easter
lilies. other early flowers will be used
extensively in decorations. White
tulips and Gala lilies will take prom
inent part. Gala lilies are plentiful this
spring, and of a good quality Numer-
Gus palms and other green foliage plants
will be used in the churches.
There is a blight disease which some
times affects the leaves of the Easter
lily. and disfigures the tips, as does
frost. as soon as the flowers OPEN Some
seasons nearly the entire crop is so af-
fected, but the blight is very scarce this
Spring Among the hundred plants in
one of the larger florist establishments
in Topeka. only one bears the withered
tip, and the foliage Of all the rest is
bright and green.
Florists are rushed today in the de-
livery of Easter lilies. About half those
sold are cut off at the ground and
dampened enough to last over one day.
! The rest are delivered in tie pots. They
must be handled with great care, as the
blossoms are easily broken off.
Everybody wants their flowers de-
i livered today. Yesterday was too soon,
and most any other flower will be as
good for Monday, but tomorrow the
elilium candidum' viii reign supreme.