Growth 335 



197. Etherization. Etherization of plants and bulbs 

 is rapidly becoming a common forcing practice with 

 florists, and it is to some extent applicable in market gar- 

 den work. By means of a suitable incubation in an atmos- 

 phere of ether or chloroform, it is possible to furnish the 

 incitation for rapid growth, particularly in the case of 

 resting plants and dormant bulbs and roots. It is thus 

 possible to bring such plants into more rapid vegetation 

 and flowering, to meet the special demands of particular 

 seasons or occasions. 



Stimulated by the many experiments of Johannsen, in 

 northern Europe the practice has been very successfully 

 employed in forcing lilacs for the cut-flower trade, while in 

 southern Europe it is usually applied to the " mimosa," 

 a species of Acacia. It is notably economical of time, 

 space, and heat, in forcing many bulbous flowering plants. 



In general, a common method of etherization is as 

 follows : The plants are exposed from 24 to 48 hours 

 in a tight chamber or box to an atmosphere of ether vapor, 

 with an ether tension preferably from 30 to 40 grams per 

 100 liters of space (approximately! ounce per cubic foot). 

 The concentration and the length of exposure should, 

 however, vary to suit the material, the more delicate 

 material requiring the weaker treatment. After treat- 

 ment the plants are ordinarily placed immediately under 

 conditions favorable for growth. 



If employed relatively early during the period of winter 

 rest with the lilacs, marked contrast is shown between the 

 forced and the control plants. During the early winter, 

 in the latitude of New York, this plant can be brought 

 into flower after etherization in from three to six weeks, 



