Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-12
HOT BATHS FOR PLANTS.
A Quick Way Of Forcing in Green
houses.

From the Literary Digest
An interesting method of forcing plants
by the use Of hot water baths is described
in La Nature by Henri Coupin. The
process is much simpler than others now
i'm use and may be employed by any one
who has a small greenhouse. no expert
treatment being necessary. Says Mr. Cou-
pin: Most trees In our countries undergo
a period of rest. during which all growth
appears to be suspended. The branches
do not enlarge and the buds on them re-
main as they are. They do not arouse
from their torpor until spring, first be-
cause they then find the conditions neces-
sary for their development, and again
because during the period Of rest chem
teal changes have taken place In them
These latter are indispensable, because.
IL they did not occur. the trees. even IN
the most favorable conditions would not
open their buds. For example, place
branches that have quite recently dropped
will not bud; but make the same expert
ment at the end Of several months and
the buds will appear.
Thus In one experiment, branches OF
frty-three days in a dollhouse: others.
plucked on December 5. required only
twenty five days: while ten days were
sufficient to cause budding when the
branches we're plucked on February :.
There are several ways OF shortening
this period Of rest, some Of which are
rather odd. The best known is tho
process of etherifcation. which has been
SO much discussed recently, and which
consists in placing the plants to be forced
in the vapor Of ether or chloroform for
twentyfour to forty-eight hours. When
then placed In a dollhouse, these branches
begin to develop almost Immediately.
"A very ingenious botanist. Hans Mol.
oh tvo h0 IND
Prague, has devised a method OF forcing
simpler still and quite as effective. 1t
consists Of plunging the branches into
warm water during q time that varies
with the species The best method Is to
employ a reservoir of warm water and to
plunge the plants therein. head down
ward. without moistening the roots which
would tnjure them. After a certain time
the plants are withdrawn. turned rlght
side up and placed in a greenhouse, where
they develop at once.
Experience has shown that the dura-
ton of the warm bath should he nine 10
twelve hours at most. The best tempera-
ture is thirty TO thirty-five degrees
(eighty-six to ninety-f five degrees Fahren-
heit) = That is to say, in the ma
jority Of cases. one may simply EMPLOY
the water available in lighthouses, which
is just at the proper temperature. The
process Is thus at the disposal of all gar
deners.
''It should be said that the good effects
OF the hot baths are confined to the parts
actually immersed and do not extend TO
tho whole plant. Thus. on the same stem
we may zee developing only the branches
that have been treated with the bath,
while the others remain torpid. This Is
easy to verify with the lilac or willow.
If Lobner is to be believed, we may
substitute for the water bath one OF
steam. He has obtained good results by
proceeding in this way with the lily of
the valley. The thing is not impossible.
but the method used by Molisch is more
practical.
How shall we explain the good effect
Of warm water on branches in resting
state? We are absolutely ignorant Of its
mechanism. as we are also i'm the case Of
etherifcation. But if we knew everything
science would no longer be amusing"