ETHER FORCING WITHOUT GREENHOUSE 219 



dry earth — that is important, dry earth — • 

 and put under the chest packed like cord" 

 wood, their branches still tied, and cloth 

 bound about the pots to hold the soil. The 

 ether was poured in and the plants remained 

 for seventy-two hours. What a sorry sight 

 as they were removed from the forcing 

 chest!" These plants that were to be a joy 

 at Christmas — and it was already Novem- 

 ber 7th! 



"The Marie le Gray lilac, a bare shrub, 

 looked unaltered, but there was a smell of 

 ether about the dirt when it was watered 

 that was hopeful. 



"The other lilac, Charles X., is notoriously 

 hard to force. So it was left dry and 

 bewrapped on the cellar floor to rest a couple 

 of days before going into the chest for 

 another dose of ether. 



"Look at the azaleas! Vervaeniana, that 

 had been of so shiny a green when put in 

 the chest, now had the lower leaves a rich 

 crimson, while the top of the plant remained 

 green — as our sumach does in the fall. It 

 followed the lilac upstairs. Simon Mardner 

 showed no signs of a change of heart, so we 

 put it back to rest with the Charles X. lilac. 



