HORTICULTURE. 243 



the jrrafts moist from the time they are made till they are in the callasing l^ed, will 

 enable even an inexperienced grafter to ol)tain at least 60 per cent of good, grafted 

 plants. 



" Callusing in sand insures more perfect unions and a larger percentage of suc- 

 cessful grafts than planting directly in the nursery. 



"The moisture in the callusing bed should not be excessive, and the temperature 

 should be relatively warm. 



"The growing grafts should be watched closely in order to see that the roots of 

 the scions are removed before they become large, and that the raffia is cut before it 

 strangles the graft. 



"The English cleft graft is preferable to the Champin graft, because it gives more 

 perfect unions and can be made with more accuracy and rapidity. 



"Scions of two eyes are preferable to those of one eye, as they give more chances 

 of success. 



"Rupestris St. George seems to be remarkably adapted to California soils (except 

 the heaviest clays) and conditions, and is to be preferred to any variety yet tested 

 here wherever deep penetration of roots is possible and desirable. 



"All the eyes of the Rupestris stock should be cut out deeply and carefully. 



"A vigorous and large-growing vinifera scion promotes an equally vigorous and 

 large growth of Rupestris St. George used as stock." 



The forcing of plants by ether, J. Fischer [Amer. (xard. , 21 {1900), 

 Nos. 283, pp. 358-360, Jigs. If.; 28 If., pp. 372, .57.5).— According to the 

 author, the resting period of a plant when growth is almost or entirel}' 

 discontinued should be distinguished from the '"forced inactivity" of 

 a plant which results from surrounding conditions, as extreme cold or 

 lack of moisture, which make growth impossible. The effects of ether 

 vapor in stimulating into early growth and bloom ma}' find a profitable 

 application in the former condition, while in the latter it is without 

 apiDreciable effect. The resting period of plants is divided into 3 

 stages — early rest, middle rest, and after rest, corresponding to decrease 

 in growth, complete rest, and increasing activity, respectively. With 

 the lilac the winter buds are said to l)e in early rest until midsummer, 

 then in middle rest until the end of October. From the end of October 

 until the end of December or first of January they are in the after- 

 rest stage, "when all of the buds emerge from the resting condition 

 and are held in a condition of forced inactivity by the cold season," 

 During the stages of early and middle rest the stimulating influence 

 of ether vapor is very small and practically without value. It is 

 during the stage of after rest that its use is most effective. 



According to the author, the treatment with ether must alwa\^s be 

 given plants which have not lost or are losing their leaves. "In gen- 

 eral it is only in the after-resting stage that etherization is of practical 

 value. Exact dates for the earliest forcing of different species can not 

 be given because the differences due to the season, variety, and method 

 of culture are so great. In general it ma}^ be said that the ether 

 method makes it possible to force shrubs 3 to (S weeks earlier than by 

 ordinary methods of culture." 



The author's experiments with Tulip La Reine showed a gain in 

 earliness of from 8 to 12 days due to etherization. Etherized tulips 



