The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-24
TO ETHERIZE PLANTS
NEW METHOD OF FASTENING TIE
DEVELOPMENT OF VEGETABLE LIFE.

DEVELOPMENT OF VEGETABLE LIFE.
Said to BE Preferable to Electrocuiture For
Several Reasons-The Process Is n Very
Simple One-Colors OF Flowers Are In
tensined and Made More Enduring.
The Agricultural High school in Copen
hagen, Denmark, which has some OF the
most eminent chemists of the age working
In It's interests, has made successful OK
periments In developing plants with mar
yelous rapidity by etherizing them. Some
time ago Mr.. Johapnsen, an eminent bot
anist and experimental chemist, read
paper before the school, in which he ex-
planned his methods of etherizing plants
TO hasten their maturity, and he illustrate
ed his text with pictures of the plants he
had tested. Immediately after hearing
this lecture the directors of the agrlcul'
tural school made preparations TO expert
ment with ether as "a plant developer, ana
the results of these tests have recently been
obtained as scientific data for future use.
The method which promises TO super
sede electroculture is To expose plants 10
the ether fumes under certain favorable
conditions. The theory is that the ether
frees the plants of decomposable matter
and stimulates them in their growth so
rapidly that they reach maturity much
earlier than by natural growth. The
plants are othorlzed in a very simple way.
Cylindrical glasses are used for this pur-
pose In the experiment at the school, so
the operators can watch the progress OF the
plants growth wAout interruptlng IL.
For larger plants, shrubs and small trees
a peculiarly constructed box, that Is made
perfectly alright, is employed. This box
is lined inside with tinfoil and oil painted
outside. 1t may be of any desirable size.
A small hole on the lid of the box Is made
for introducing the ether, and this Is closed
with cork when everything Is ready for
the experiment.
The box or glass cylinder is placed over
the potted plant and the ether then intro
duced. From 500 to 500 cubic centimeters
of ether are introduced in box feet
high and long and feet broad. Then the
plant and box are placed in a dollhouse
and left there for "a to 96 hours.
The effect of this treatment is almost In
Simultaneous. The plant begins to awak.
en-, and the shoots expand and produce
new foliage and wood. Their previous
! inactivity is replaced by most marvellous
process of active growth. Tulips, lilacs,
carnations, lilies and all other plants thus
treated develop suddenly and hasten their
! growth so that they can be made ready for
| the market almost at the will of the florist.
| The etheriZing of the plant costs from !
cent to cents for each one, but in view
| of the extraordinary results obtained this
| is hardly worth considering. Not only
| are the plants developed quicker than by
natures usual method, but the colors OF
the flowers are intensified and made more
durable.
In this respect etherizing is much SUI
perior to electroculture Some remarkable
| successes have been obtained in the past
ten years in applying atmospheric electric
| ity to plants for fastening their maturity
BY this method plants and flowers have
been brought to maturity In half the or
binary time required by nature, and the
size of vegetables has been more than dou
ble The yield of grains has been in
creased 80 per cent by electroculture. 81
remarkable have the results been in thi
lire that some scientists have predicted al
early revolution in agriculture through
the application of electricity TO all growing
plants.
But there has always been one draw
back to the elcctroculture OF Towering
plants. While tho vegetables would b
, doubled in size by this method of stimula
ton and their quality would not be i'm
paired, the blossoms of plants would sui
} fer. They would bloom much earlier, pre-
duce sometimes larger blossoms, with rio
colors, but they would quickly fade Thu
carnations would develop rich, deep CO
: or under the influence of an arc light bu
. when removed from 1t tho flowers woul
T. fade within five hours to dull gray. Th
= same was true of violets, pinks, roses an
2 all other flowers. The electricity In som
: way seemed to absorb or exhaust the CO
q oring matter of the flowers, thus maxim
u electroculture of little real value to I'll
florist.
t Not so with the new etherizing metbo
!. of stimulating the growth of flowers. Th
! promises to be to the florist what electr
culture is proving to the general mark
gardener and farmer. The pretty colors
, the flowers are not only brought out I'M
strong relief by etherizing, but they a
lc made more durable than in the plan
l., grown by the ordinary slow method. Th
q Is due to the fact that the ether frees Il
:, plants of decomposable matter, and cons
;" uuently there is less rapid fading Of Il
IL coloring matter.
have myself witnessed the magic tran
formation of plants by this process. Pian
of the lilac and tulip order were taken
the late fall from the greenhouse al
placed under cylindrical glasses. Tn
were in their resting period, and the TO
ho age and wood looked dead and brow
But after the ether was forced under
'e glass covering a change was gradual
~ noticeable. In the course of 12 hours I
tie plants had picked up their dropping lea,
20 and looked thrifty and vigorous. AT
end of AZ hours you could detect mint
little buds at each joint of the leaves.
90 hours tiny new leaves had started a
there were evident signs Of buds visible.
These discoveries will undoubtedly lie
to far more astonishing results. 1t Is
o0 loved now by the directors of the agric
he tural station here that florists can ma
he any of their plants bloom ut will throul
A. out the year. Thus they can make tn
NC lilacs and tulips bloom In September
or October or In time for the Christmas he
day. In fact, it will in time complet
revolutionize flower growing. Wewill ]
A. q h.xe gs,v.1