The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-14
Bermuda's Far-F amed
 Easter Lilies Arrive
50 Percent Increase in Bulbs Expected to Be Imported Over Last Year; American Bulbmen Invade Islands

1 Bermuda and indications are that the total importation of buds this year will show at least a 509o in- crease over last year. A considerable increase in the number of bulbs of Bermudas Easter lily will be i'm ported over last years figures, and many of the bulbs which came in last year have been brought to maturity in private American greenhouses and will be on eXhibi- ton un the gardens and display at the International Flower Show in New York City and at the Flower shows to be held in Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia.
 American florists, fully cognizant of the superior quality of the Ber- muda Easter Lily early this year turned to the Islands to meet their requirements. Growers there, anti cipating the demand which would be made on them, have during the past three years, steadily increased their normal pre-war acreage and so were fully prepared to meet the expected invasion of American bulb men and dealers which descended on them earlier this year.
 Bermuda's Lily Acreage Increases
 The growing of lily bulbs was at one time an important industry of the Islands, but 1t steadily declined between 1880 and l037. The follow ing year .t picked up considerably, and now, since the war, bids fair to become Bermuda's principal in- dustry. Buds, flowers and bulbs are all utilized. The buds are hand- picked, being broken rather than cut from the stems, and are care- fully packed in corrugated boxes lined with wax paper for shipment to this country. When the buds open, their lovely, wax-like, delicate and aromatic flowers retain their full beauty for three weeks and so hold a record for long life among all the cut flowers.
 Those buds which are allowed to mature in the fields are utilized locally in the manufacture of a fragrant perfume, but prior to the establishment of that industry they were simply thrown into the sea.
 Grown in fields protected by cedar and other semi-tropical foli- age plants that act as windbreaks, 1t requires from three to five years to produce a marketable lily bulb, the plants then attaining height of about two and half feet. The bulbs are harvested in July and August and are sorted into grades depending on their circumference which varies from six inches up. They are then packed in dry white coral sand and shipped to florists and garden supply houses here, eventually bloom in time for the Easter season in the thousands of American greenhouses which have been maintained at degree of heat and humidity that approximates the sub-tropical climate to which the lilies have been accustomed.
 Flowers by Ship and Plane
 Every boat and almost every plane leaving Bermuda between now and Easter for this country will carry thousands of lily buds, but aside from being grown for export the Easter lily is a popular favorite in It's own country where 1t may be seen nodding gracefully at the passerby from little unpretentious wayside gardens. pceping from in- triguing driveways, gracing lovely rock gardens. or adding Us Slatei!- ness to the delight of Bermuda's more formal gardens.