Evening star., 1925-04-12
EASTER LILY SAVED
BY i. S. EXPERTS
Development of Flowers
From Seed Eliminates
Blight of Foreign Bulbs.

Christian America again today will
adorn its churches with a gift from
mont Christian Japan-the Easter
ltly-but it is bequest that has
only been saved to this country, 70
the point of abundance, by two
Washington men. DR. L. c. Corbett
hortlculturist for the Depa partment of
Agriculture, and f. NJ. Byrnes. for
merly in charge OF the department
gardens, who first started growing
the lily from seed, instead of using
the age-oid method of bulb culture.
For virtually a quarter of CEN
tury now, the lily industry in the
United States, which il is estimated
has value of s250.000 annually, has
heen fostered along lines developed
by research at the Department of
Agriculture greenhouse here, and at
the Arlington Experimental Farm
and az result, the growers have
become entirely independent of Ber-
muda and Japan, from which the
bulb stocks originally came
In the meantime. too, importa tions
from the islands have declined
heavily, and, as a matter of fact
now are frowned upon, because of
the virtual inability to procure plants
free from pests.
being sought because of the wide
spread demand for the lily.
Origin of Lny Ancient.
The origin of the lily. of which
there are more than so varieties
and which for centuries has been
accepted a s A symbol of religion. is
lost in antiquity. The first Easter
lily was the Madonna lily, known by
hot &c
white -fowered lily, and was native
of southern Europe. Then the Lilium
Longiforum, or long -f1owered lily. a
product of Japan, for which the
Nipponese had found no particular
use, and, consequently. had neglected,
was discoveed growing in Bermuda
about 45 years ago.
A larger and harder type than the
Madonna lily and the first to take
kindly to forced cultivation, it be-
came instantly popular and sup
planted the Madonna as the Easter
lily, place it has since held.
So great was the demand for the
new lily that Bermuda growers be
gan to experience unheard-of pros
perlty. 1t was discovered that the
lily could be produced from a bulb in
about 13 weeks, in forcing house,
and could be brought into flower
tion day, but still the growers were
not satisfied.
Stirred on by dealers in this
country, each anxious to get ahead
of his competitor in the matter of
early deliveries. the growers started
digging bulbs prematurely. only to
find suddenly thata blight had fallen
on the plants.
The dealers then began to COM
I,;, .ha he nf
stocks they were receiving and the
Department of Agriculture stepped in.
Experts from Washington visited
Bermuda, and quickly determined
the nature of the infection threat
ening the plants, but they were
powerless in British territory to
do other than simply make sugges-
tions
The recommendations went un
Needed and as the plant continued to
suffer, Japan seized the opportunity
previously neglected, and starting
cultivation on a large scale, captured
the market from Bermuda.
But the Japanese, profiting moth
ing by the mistakes of the Bermud-
ans, also began digging early, and
when the disease developed there,
this Government decided to see what
could be done toward getting control
of the industry. and saving the lily
/ to posteritN.
Turn to Use of Seed.
Selected stocks were taken into
! the Southeastern States, and propa-
cation attempted under what was
deemed the most favorable circum-
stances, but the plan failed. the warm
! DAYS of late Autumn starting pre-
mature growth of the bulbs, which
| was as promptly nipped by the frost.
Then early in this century DR..
| Corbett conceived the idea of grow
ing the lily from seed, instead of
| bulbs. a scheme that was consideree
preposterous, because of the time that
it was thought would be involved.
Nevertheless. the attempt was made
on a modest scale in the Government
greenhouses here, and in just 6
months and 13 days, the first flowers
bioomed. and in 10 months, salable
pulbs had been developed where 1t
mad been thought years would be
necessary.
Mr.. Byrnes. who has since retired
as department gardener. aiding DR.
Corbett IN the new venture, obtained
some retarded plants from the Botanic
Garden here, pollinating' them, and
making them set seed, and 1T was
| from this first batch of seed that
growers throughout the country have
| obtained their stocks
! Since the work has been transferred
| to the Experimental Farm, research
| has been conducted both in a quarter
| acre patch out-of-doors and under
glass.
Easter lilies Of remarkable size, some
as tall as six feet, have been grown
at Arlington, and some valuable dis
| coveries on their cultivation made
| One oddity that has been disclosed
| is that the Easter lily may be grown
| in wide extremes of climate-that is
| where it is very cold, or very warm
| but that unreasonable weather, such
as lowered temperature in a normally
n1ir 70 70