The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-08
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 lis much simpler than others now
IN 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 10 be suspended The branches
do not enlarge and the buds on them
remain as they are They DO not arouse
from their torpor until spring. first he
cause they then find the conditions neces-
sary for their development, and again. he
cause during the period Of rest, chemical
changes have taken place in them. These
latter are Indispensable because. II they
did not occur. the trees, even IN the
most favorable conditions, would not OMEN
their buds For example place branches
that have quite recently dropped their
leaves, in warm green house They will
not bud; but make the same experiment
at the end Of several months and the
buds will appear
Thus. IN one experiment, branches of
L, DuQ0e0
after hfty-three days in a dollhouse:
others. plucked on December 3 required
only twenty-five days; while ten DAYS
were sufficient TO cause budding when the
branches were plucked on February 5.
There are several ways Of shortening
this period OF rest. some OF which are
rather odd. The best known Is the. proc
ess Of etheTihcati0n. which has been so
much discussed recently, and which con-
sistg in placing the plants to be forced
in the vapor of ether or chlorOforln for
twenty-four to forty-eight hours. When
then placed In dollhouse. these branches
begin 10 develop almost Immediately.
A very ingenious botanisl Hans Mol
isch professor in the University Of
Prague. has devised a method OF forcing.
simpler still, and quito as effective. It
consists of plunging the branches into
warm water during a time that varies
with the species. The best method is TO
employ q reservoir or warm water and 10
plunge the plants therein. head down.
ward, without moistening the roots which
would injure them. After a certain time
the plants are withdrawn. turned right
side up and placed IN a greenhouse,
where they develop at once.
Experience has shown that the dura-
ton Of the warm bath should be nine TO
twelve hours at most The best tempera-
ture Is so to 81 degrees CSC to IS degrees
FahrenheiD. That is to say, in the ma
jority Of cases. one may simply employ
the water available IN hot houses. which
is just at the proper temperature The
process IS thus at the disposal OF all
gardeners.
1T should be said that the good effects
OF the hot baths are confined 10 the parts
actually immersed and do not extend to
the whole plant. Thus, on the same stem
we may see developing only the branches
that have been treated with the bath
while the others remain torpid. This Is
easy 10 verify with the lilac or the will
low
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 a rest
ing slater We arc absolutely ignorant Of
its mechanism. as we are also In the case
OF etherihcation. But II we knew every
thing science would be no longer anus
lrgl