FOOLING THE FLOWERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 100, 30 April 1938, Page 26

FOOLING THE FLOWERS

By adding a "darkhouse" to greenhouses and hothouses, Cornell University, New. York, horticulturists . have abolished the four seasons for flowers, says the "San Francisco Chronicle." They fool flowers into blooming at un-heard-of periods. Their work promises millions in savings to the flower trade and cheaper blooms for everyone.

They have found that you can fool some of the flowers all the time, all the flowers some of the time, but a Scottish heather is the hardest to fool.

Developed under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Post of the Department of Floriculture and Ornamental Horticulture, the "darkhouse" is a step in use of artificial lighting. It is made by hanging black satin curtains over greenhouse walls to simulate night.

Now chrysanthemums normally flower in November. But place a black satin hood over them at five every afternoon in August and leave it until seven in the morning, and the "mums" bloom in September. With the aid of the same hood they can be made to flower in June.

The black satin fools the flowers into feeling that the shortening days of autumn have arrived.

Chrysanthemums are one of rrfany varieties that bloom only in short days. Poinsettias, brilliant winter blooms of the Southern United States, normally appear in December. But with aid of a "darkhouse" they come out in July. The blue October garden flower,

eupatorium, has been moved up from October to September. by shortening its days to eleven hours after July 15.

Scottish heather has been the hardest to please. It wants, not shorter days, but longer. The variety, King Edward 11, has never flowered in America more than half-way to its top. At Cornell, it was given more and more light, from electric bulbs.

When the "day" had been lengthened to twenty hours in this way, the heather bloomed to the top as if in its native Scotland. Many other flowers can be fooled by" longer days. But their electric bills are not as high as this Scottish plant.

Stock, a popular flower that immigrated from the Mediterranean countries, is the best "penny pincher." It appears to need four hours' added light, But it does just as well if the four hours are split into alternating periods of light and darkness: In this inexpensive way its flowering has been moved up from January to the Christmas season when stock sells very well.

Added to both darkness or light,, most of the flowers want the right temperatures. Some want the thermometer above 60, others below.

In taste for temperature the yellow and red libonia almost fooled the scientists who were trying to fool it. At GO this plant was all leaves. At 50 it had many buds, but the leaves fell off. At 55 libonia puts on a profusion of both leaves and flowers.