372 



HORTICULTURE 



April 19, 1919 



Hydrangea Mmb. Maubice Hamab. 



FORCING BULBS WITH ELECTRIC 

 LIGHTS. 



Mr. Wheeler, the assistant in horti- 

 culture and gardener at the New York 

 State School of Agriculture, Morris- 

 ville, has been carrying on an experi- 

 ment with Tulip Bulbs to show the 

 effect of electric lights on the same. 



One hundred-twenty bulbs were 

 placed in a store room in the cellar 

 after celery was removed and one 

 electric light (40 candle power) was 

 allowed to burn six hours a day. The 

 experiment has been continued for 

 three weeks and the bulbs have each 

 pushed up two or three leaves and a 

 flower book which is practically per- 



fect. No sunlight can enter the cellar 

 so the growth has been due entirely to 

 electricity. There is room for fifteen 

 hundred bulbs in the cellar and all 

 could be forced by means of the one 

 light though two lights would probably 

 be better. The cost of current for the 

 experiment was ?.63, or double ($1.26) 

 if two lights had been used. 



As greenhouses are filled to capacity 

 early in the spring, it should be of 

 great advantage to be able to force the 

 bulbous plants in a cellar and the cost 

 of electricity is probably a great deal 

 less than the value of the space that 

 would be necessary for the same plants 

 in the greenhouse. The only difference 

 between the normal plants and the 



electric grown plant is that the leave* 

 of the latter are a lighter green. A 

 great advantage in forcing the bulbs 

 by electricity is that the flower can be 

 held indefinitely. By subduing the 

 light buds can be held from one to two 

 weeks. The bulbs were grown at a 

 temperature of 50 degrees F. 



The keeping qualities of the bloom 

 seemed about the same as a normal 

 flower except when placed in a warm 

 room in strong sunlight the electric 

 grown flower opened more rapidly. 



Though there is much chance for 

 more experimenting along the same 

 line, it seems as if enough has been ac- 

 complished to at least show that elec- 

 tricity may be used successfully as a 

 commercial proposition under certain 

 conditions. 



T. H. T., Morrisville, N. Y. 



