122 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 7, 1903. 
siderably in the rear. For many years we have been wont 
to speak of the resting of plants, the object being to accentuate 
the fact that plants require a period of rest previous to starting 
into fresh growth. The object of etherisation is to shorten 
rather than lengthen the natural period of rest, so 1 that with 
the aid of a suitable temperature we may bring the plants into 
bloom several months in advance of- the natural period, and, 
in fact, during autumn instead of spring. Lilacs have hitherto 
been bloomed in autumn, as the result of retarding in a re¬ 
frigerating chamber for seven or eight months, at a considerable 
expense. The hope and expectation is that the hastening 
process can be accomplished at a cost of a few shillings per 
100 or 1,000 plants, so that if the scheme may be fully realised 
it will effect a great saving. Hitherto the Lilac in its several 
varieties has proved most amenable to the new culture; and 
its erstwhile utility is likely to be greatly enhanced in all pro¬ 
gressive countries where it can minister to the needs of modem 
civilisation. 
The process of etherisation is extremely simple, all that is 
necessary being a galvanised tank or chamber of sufficient size 
to take in a few plants at a time—few or more according to the 
wants and requirements of the establishment. A small cup is 
fixed into the top of the tank or chamber for the purpose of 
receiving the ether. The Lilacs are packed away in the tank 
when full grown, but still clothed with leaves ; the tank is 
closed and the ether allowed to evaporate during a period of 
forty-eight hours. The Lilacs shed their leaves, and are then 
exposed to the air for another forty-eight hours, after which 
they are subjected to another and similar period of etherisation. 
The plants are then ready for forcing, and, when placed in a 
suitable temperature, they develop their flowers during the 
course of two or three weeks. 
The old process of retarding involved a. certain amount of 
failure, some of the plants not being equal to- the strain, due 
probably in a large measure to the Lilacs, not having previously 
received the proper preparation to enable them to develop and 
mature their flower-buds. Failures with the new process are 
described as having been reduced to a minimum ; but in our 
opinion this may be largely due to the superior treatment to 
which they have been subjected to properly mature the flower 
buds. Anyhow, the Lilacs, by virtue of the combined pro¬ 
cesses, are more floriferous than they hitherto were wont to be. 
The variety Marie Legraye proves more amenable to treatment 
than the other varieties popularly regarded as indispensable by 
those who practise forcing. One period of forty-eight hours 
of etherisation is sufficient, though other varieties require a 
double dose. Furthermore, etherisation is only necessary 
during autumn and the first half of winter; for by the end 
of January the natural resting period has been completed, and 
Lilacs readily submit to forcing, though it may be accomplished 
earlier. 
Other plants that, have been subjected to' the operation are 
Prunus triloba fl.pl., Azalea, mollis, Viburnum plicatum, Deutzia 
gracilis, and others. A considerable amount of success 
has been achieved with them, sufficient, in fact, to warrant 
further experiment. Various other subjects more or less 
regularly forced in the usual way have also been treated to 
the new process, and though they have not hitherto responded 
so readily to the new process, it may be that their special re¬ 
quirements have not yet been fully investigated. If forcing 
can be rendered a less expensive operation by the new process, 
we may rest assured that it will be largely adopted in the near 
future in every garden of any pretensions. 
The discovery of the new process dates back to 1878 or 
1879, when Claude Bernard, a Frenchman, issued a work on the 
subject of “ Phenomena. Common to Plants and Animals.” 
Professor Johannsen, a Danish physiologist, contributed articles 
on the possibilities of this new treatment to a German garden¬ 
ing journal in 1894 and 1897, and in 1901, or about that time, 
he committed his ideas on the subject to a pamphlet in German. 
Two establishments in Hamburg immediately thereafter com¬ 
menced making experiments on their own account, and some 
French growers followed suit; but they have not seen fit to 
publish an account of their researches. 
The grower in this country who has been experimenting with 
the etherisation of Lilac and other plants is Mr. T. Jannoch, of 
Dersingliam, near Sandringham, who is well known to the 
fraternity for his perennial cultures of Lily of the Valley. Anv 
further experiments he may be pleased to make in the etherisa¬ 
tion of plants will be watched with curiosity and interest by a 
wide circle of the community. 
Sweet Peas. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir, —In the “ Editorial Note ” (page 59) on the above sub¬ 
ject it is remarked that novelty is always dear to' the heart of 
the lover of flowers, and undoubtedly this is true respecting 
the majority of the gardening fraternity, both amateur and 
otherwise. Whether the novelty consists of fancy coloration, 
size or distinctive habit, it matters not. The advent of any¬ 
thing new or novel, be it seedling or sport, is enough. The 
particular plant or flower is marked, seed saved, and visions 
of a small fortune arise; but, unhappily, few of these are 
realised, and the novelty seldom gets beyond the gardens where 
it originated. 
The great and increasing popularity of the Sweet Pea is in 
itself an excuse for a variety of tastes, both fancy and other¬ 
wise ; yet, while the majority seem to prefer the self colours, 
there are many who have a liking for the stripes, or flakes. 
Unfortunately, these varieties, with one or two exceptions, 
have a somewhat dull and cloudy appearance, the markings 
being indistinct and the ground colour generally of a dirty 
white. Mrs. Joseph Chamberlain and America are two of the 
brightest in this section. The so-called yellow Sweet Peas are 
still far removed from that desirable colour, the Hon. Mrs. 
Kenyon, probably being the best. A favourite of mine is 
Prince Edward of York, which I have grown and exhibited for 
several years. Unfortunately, the wings are much lighter 
than the fine standard, else we might have had almost a true 
scarlet. Several varieties I have noted produce more flowers 
on a stem than others do, Prince of Wales, Prima Donna, 
Blanche Burpee, Black Knight, and Miss Willmott being 
amongst the number. The slight and scarcely perceptible 
difference in colour between many of them renders it quite 
unnecessary to grow numbers of varieties. Instances of 
similarity are Salopian and Mars, Miss TV illmott and Lady 
Mary Currie, Prima Donna and Lovely, Black Knight and 
Stanley, Hon. Mrs. Kenyon and Mrs. Eckford, Mrs. Sankey and 
Queen of England. The first-named in each case I should 
advise to be grown, the superiority being in the size of the 
individual bloom. 
Almost every horticultural society now provide in their 
schedules classes for Sweet Peas, and splendid displays are 
made at many of our provincial shows, a great improvement 
on the meagre exhibits of six or eight years ago'. Unless in 
large classes, exhibitors generally stage self-coloured varieties, 
of which there is great choice and a wide range of colour. The 
usual number of bunches called for is from six to eighteen in 
as many varieties. At many of these exhibitions the space 
allowed for staging is ridiculously small, the result being a 
crowded mass of flowers. Members of staging committees 
should bear in mind that 1 ft. is none too much for a bunch 
of Sweet. Peas as now grown, and if facilities for raising the 
back and middle rows were provided the effect would be much 
better, and also enable the judges to perform their work much 
quicker and more satisfactorily. 
The arrangement of the flowers themselves should be done 
in. the lightest possible manner ; in this the exhibitor finds the 
advantage of well-grown and long-stemmed flowers. The blend¬ 
ing of the different colours is also another point which should 
receive careful attention. In close competition all this is 
taken into consideration by the judges. Needless to sav, every 
variety should be neatly and correctly named. 
Existing standard varieties'will certainly take some displac¬ 
ing, although Dorothy Eckford, the new white, will probably 
take the lead in whites ; yet it is doubtful if King Edward YII. 
and Mrs. W. Wright will oust Salopian and Lady G. Hamilton 
from the position they hold in their respective colours. 
Baron Hill Gardens. T. H. Bolton. 
