Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-09-01
THE LADY OF THE LILIES
BY Frederic J. Haskin


Ksnilworth, Sept. This quiet
uttle town boasts tho bigger WateI
lily farm In the United STATES vi
course II IA run by woman, ana oi
course the woman - known as me
Lady Of the Lilies.
Although she In practical ana
succeshful business woman, IL seems
appropriate to call Mrs. Helen Fo"-
lcr by this poetic name. Romance
cling. naturally TO water lilies ana
TO the people associated With tnehi
Even the business Of growing blies
nv the acre and shipping them oy the
| thousand In tinged with tho pictnr-
sque.
Imagine the sturdy little woman
guiding her boat about the water neids
ana directing her are stants az tney
uick several thousand lily buds on
.,,roroer morning. Imagine her again
standing rife In hand tensely waiting
| for the snapping turtle, that oeA''y
enerny of The water lily. Wnen ne
hears no one about. up comes ms NJ ao
and crack goee lie shot OF tne .eh
| mort. That turtle eats no more mrs
Imagine nor surrounded BY 3OOo C
1000 rainbow colored water hiles-~
nne day's picking IN tho height OF ine
eeoson--btisiIy packing them to DC
ehipped 10 points as far as Chicago
| Portland. Mafhe; and Macon, Georgia
| with this sort Of thing described AZ
routine there is no med 10 hunt foi
the picturesque side Of lily farming.
There is little USE asking anyone tc
viaitalize tho farm Itself. II Is a sor'
of water lily heaven. There are oroae
pools filed with nothing but oeh
cate pink water lilies. surrounded u
their odd round leaves and mirroree
in the water. Other pools are s1ver
over 20 different varieties.
In collection Of THE sort, alnos
every corner o, the world Ia repre-
sented by some distinctive water bly
France has sent some Of our mos
beautiful specimens. Sweden supple
! crimson varieties. Zanzibar, in far
off Africa, sent deep blue and purpl
ones: Mexico and Florida, some o
the best yellow kinds; South America
, the royal Victoria water lily; Will
lotusee OF various kinds came fror
Egypt and different parts Of IN
: Orient.
, All these types are raised in thi
country now. and occasionally ne'
/. | varieties are evolved. There are
different kinde OF water lilies on Mr.
y. Fowler's farm. Her father originate
n about dozen lilies, and she has pro
; ! duced six or more.
( The Lotus Of Bgyprs Queen
c.~.. - -. INV ruonAs ora itnsd :
the swampy banks With the faxnou
. lotuses Of history and cong. The san
Egyptian iotus that Cleopatra wove
e her auburn hair 70 captivate her lov
u ers Is growing in one, Of these III
II ponds. so huge "a the blossom IN,
the visitor can only wonder how II
% queen managed TO tuck It behind n
~ ear, and whether after all the effe
g. could have been really coquett1
There IL no question. however, OF Il
ii Egyptian lotus being enchanting
e It's water home. The stalk rises (
p feet above the water and ends
a an upturned blossom shading fro
u creamy white 70 carmine red.
y The pink japanese and Indian lo
uses, which bloom on shorter stalk
N are planted IN front OF these "a
Egyptian lilies. To see the lotus
=. blooming IN profusion Is 20 unde
stand why almost every oriental coul
g try has succumbed 70 the spell OF Z
a. water lily.
~ For centuries the Buddhist has r
w. peated in his prayers. 20. the Jew
. in the lotus flower" TIE Egypt;
- sculpture used the lotus as a favori
IS design in his temple carvings. T
Greek poets knew It as a symbol
ed the allurins Incidence OF tropic
er lands. We have an American lotus.
beautiful pale yellow variety, III
IL grows wild in the country, and II
re only waits for some poet or philos
n pher TO inmortalize its charm.
Further along the way are the V
all toria lilies, the royalty Of the wa
lily family. The leaves of the Victor
Of are sometimes seven feet across. TT
are like round boats, with turned
e. edges to keep out the water. A oh
can sit safely on one Of the largest
RS these floating trays. The flower is
&C. giant, too, a great blush-tinted bl
som that scents the air with a hea
fra GRANGE suggestive OF pineapple.
Mrs. Fowler leads the way past
these water wonders. Twenty-f
years ago her father, W. B. Sh'
started by making one lily pond in
swamp land. Seven acres are now
,k- der water. There are "a ponds in
IN constructed from marsh land. tt