72 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



activities throwing it into a complete and intense state of rest, so 

 deep and so intense as to materially abridge its normal winter resting 

 period. ISIaumene (20) says "The cause of the action of anesthetics 

 on plants is a matter of theory and may be due to an acceleration 

 of the order of growth, or the phenomenon may be the suspension 

 of an arrest which has occurred in the natural growth. On the 

 other hand, ether or chloroform may be merely an excitant. The 

 vapors of ether and chloroform only have a momentary effect 

 although they produce extreme stimulation, shorten the period of 

 repose and incite vegetation." Beltz (3) believes that "ether or 

 chloroform cause an extension of the plant cells through exterior 

 excitation." Drude, Ledien, and Naumann believe that ether or 

 chloroform checks some of the changes within the plant cell while 

 at the same time increasing respiration. Aymard is of the belief 

 that anesthetics act as dehydrating agents on vegetable tissues. 

 In support of this statement he found that lily-of-the-valley pips 

 subjected to the action of phosphoric anhydrid, a strong dehydrating 

 agent, forced even more quickly than when treated with ether vapor. 

 Recent investigations in Europe (9) have demonstrated that acceler- 

 ation of plant growth, in the case of lilacs at least, may be just as 

 successfully induced during the dormant season by immersing them 

 in water at 95 degrees F. Lilac plants treated in this way early in 

 November came into bloom in three weeks and forced more quickly 

 than those subjected to ether fumes. 



The writer has been able to secure accelerated growth from astilbe 

 clumps subjected to a vacuum of § atmosphere for from four to 

 forty-eight hours. 



From the data at hand it would appear that the anesthesia influ- 

 ence exerted by anesthetics upon plant tissues is not the real or at 

 least the sole cause of after stimulation. The underlying cause 

 must be a deeper one. It would seem to be more in the nature of a 

 distinct shock. Growth can hardly be said to be arrested in water 

 at a temperature of 95 degrees F. On the other hand the more or 

 less quiescent protoplasm receives a decided shock or stimulus 

 which induces a marked growth response. In vacuum of the 

 intensity of f atmosphere all growth is suddenly and completely 

 arrested and there is more or less moisture extracted from the cell 

 protoplasm, an effect very similar if not identical to that exerted 

 by anesthetics. 



