AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

Much work has been done within the past twenty years upon forcing into growth of plants of all kinds, hard wood twigs and pot grown plants, herbaceous perennials, bulbs, tubers, seeds and vegetables by the use of such agencies as ether, chloroform, desiccation, freezing, wounding, electricity, warm baths, nutrient salt solutions, radium, etc.... The rest period of the plants has in a large number of cases, been much shortened and in some cases even entirely eliminated. The use of these agents in breaking the rest period suggested to the writer, the idea that they might be successfully used in inducing an earlier callus and root formation and that they might provide sufficient stimulus to cause the plants to produce adventitious roots thus making the use of these agencies a matter of economic importance in commercial nursery practice. The following report deals with results obtained from trials of some of the above-mentioned substances. It is a continuation of the general study of the rest period of plants begun several years ago by Dr. W.L. Howard, then, of the Missouri Experiment Station. – Pages 1-2.