The farmer and mechanic., 1911-04-18
EASTER FLOWERS
IN THEIR GLORY
So Many Favorites 1t Is
Hard to Distinguish
ABOUT FLORAL CUL TURE

>on,. ,oye,icr Than the Rose in All
i,e beautiful Varieties - American
ized Bermuda Lilies - United
states government Giving Away
Great Quantities OF Seeds There
One Who Does Not Love Flowers,
t,sy4ctslly on This Day?
iHy FREDERIC J. HASkIN.)
Zach year the output Of Easter
flowers increases in variety, beauty
and commercial value. According to
cqreful estimate the Easter flower
trade has increased at east q hun
dred per cent in the past ten years
With the greater demand come
many new varieties even IN the staple
nowara. Formerly Annuciation lilies
were the typical Easter flowers, al
though a quarter OF q century ago
they were sufficiently rare to prohibit
them from being laVishly used.
In the early eighties William 1iar-
ris. q Philadelphia florist, began the
in}portation of the beautiful white
lily of the Bermuda Islands for Easter
decoration At first the plants them
selves were imported, then the cut
stems containing the buds were care
fully packed in cotton wool and snip
ped by cold storage steamers to New
York IT was severa! Years, however,
before the bulbs brought by Mr.. Har-
ri8 we're in general use. Like ali
novelties the demand for the Ber-
muda lily soon eXcelled the output.
The Bermuda Lily is NOW An
American Product.
The shiftless natives in Bermuda
instead or thriftiiy reserVing their
best and strongest bulbs for repro
duclion sold them to the American
market. They had no idea Of ctlitl-
waiting d nsurishing. soil to keep up
the strength of the flowers. Within
ten years of the time the Bermuda
lilies were put upon the American
market, they became so reduced OH
their native island, both as to quality
and quantity, that the United States
Bureau of Agriculture sent commits
sion to Bermuda to study their con-
t1ations and requirements. AS a
result Of these Investigations the so
called Bermuda lily is almost entire
ly an American product. It has to
De Hary carefully grown in glass
rooted houses and kept at an even
temperature little lower than that
Of Bermuda, which averages about
slxty-tive degrees.
Next to the lily In Easter sisni-
fcance comes the daffodil. This
beautiful golden blossom with its
WaXy petals is much used for deco
rations. Though it is easily grown
and has been popular as q home
garden grower for centuries, it also
is extensively sold by florists. The
daffodils Of the amateur gardener
are largely dependent upon conditions
OF the weather. The florist takes no
chances, for this flower plays an I'M
portant part in the Easter trade and
outside Of all the large cities greas
felds may be found containing mil
lions Of these yellow flowers for the
Easter trade.
None LoyelieP Than the Rose-Its
Varieties.
In the cut flower trade. roses come
hrst in popularity at Easter as well
as other times: The American Beauty
duction Of a rose grower in the Dis
trict Of Columbia who acquired
comfortable fortune from that one
mower, eXcels all others in demand
Ihe price keeps high for the hardy
iong-stemmed variety which now runs
trom forty to sixty dollars per hun
ored at wholesale, exceeding ORCHIDS
"hIch may be purchased at IRON
twenty-five to fifty dollars per hun
edred. The demand for orchids il
America has grown tremendously
during the past five years but the
supply has Increased proportionate15
so that they are lower rather thar
Mgher In price, excepting for the few
fare varieties only valuable to the col
iectors.
1t is peculiar how certain flower
ipt
period and then suddenly fallen from
taVor and are no more heard Of. Dur
ing the sixteenth and seventeenth cen
Jury Europe was wild over tulips
Hortunes were spent for a singl,
pam The craze was strongest II
ooiiand and the nercest rivalry OBJ
:a1hed between florists In propagat