USE OF ETHER AND CHLOROFORM FOR FORCING SHRUBS. 51 



form, commence to flower as soon as they have a little warmth and 

 moisture given to them, and that the more rapidly since the effect of the 

 anaesthetic has been more energetic ? Thus one can say with Professor 

 Le Monnier, Director of the Botanical Garden of Nancy, that ether and 

 chloroform act like stimulants to the reserve of growth stored up round 

 about the buds. 



If, then, anaesthetics act by the powers they possess of removing the 

 water contained in the vegetable tissues, would it not be possible to sub- 

 stitute for them some other substances, known for their properties of 

 removing dampness, such as chloride of calcium, quicklime, and other 

 harmless products ? 



