HARDY PLANTS FORCING 395 



accumulation of moisture. No watering is necessary if the 

 plants were well watered before they were stored. Too 

 much dampness in the storage cellar will injure the buds 

 and foliage. This is especially true of the evergreens. 

 Snow may cover the pit for a week or more at a tune, but 

 will not be injurious if it does not occur frequently. As a 

 rule, plants once forced should be thrown away. Lilacs 

 and azaleas, however, may be put into the nursery, and 

 after cultivation for two years, they will be ready for forc- 

 ing again. Sometimes the first forcing seems to be an 

 excellent preparation for the second forcing. 



647. The resting period. All hardy plants should have 

 a resting period between blooming seasons. Some plants 

 will come to bloom more quickly than others, for no apparent 

 reason. This must be determined by experiment. Frost 

 does not aid in the resting season. In fact, freezing will 

 often injure the roots of some plants, also the large buds 

 of lilacs and rhododendrons. 



648. The season for forcing. Most hardy plants 

 should not be forced before the middle of December. The 

 longer the days, the better the results. In beginning the 

 forcing, the atmospheric temperature should be about 

 45. Syringing should be done twice a day until the buds 

 start. When the plants have commenced to grow, their 

 treatment should be the same as for other greenhouse 

 plants. If attention is given to maintaining a correct 

 temperature, the period of blooming may be accurately de- 

 termined. Most hardy plants may be forced easily in 

 three months, if they are given a temperature of 45 to 

 55. In February and March, plants should bloom in from 

 four to six weeks. Earlier in the winter, more tune is re- 

 quired, and the results are more uncertain. 



649. The use of ether and chloroform. Experiments 



