Good for Cut Flowers.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 31 July 1914, Page 2

Good for Cut Flowers.

To prolong the life of cut flowers two professors of the School of Agriculture at Rennes, Fiance, have recently compared the effect of various solutions with that of plain water. Over 100 different kinds of flowers were tried. It was found that most of them would live and stay fresh much longer if some sugar was put into the water in which they were kept. Sugar, however, was no help to tulips, daisies, or chrysanthemums, and it was a positive injury to lilies and sweet peas. It accelerated the opening of the buds, especially of roses and orchids. Small quantities of chloral, ether, glycerine, alcohol, lime water, and even aimnom'a salts, ser\ed to lengthen the lives of various kinds of flowers. The water thus "modified" should come as near as possible to the blossoms. In other words, the stems should be immersed as deeply as possible. Some of the flowers kept in sugar and water lived four times as long as would ordinarily bo the case.

The amount of sugar required varies. Carnations require 15 per cent, of sugar, and roses from 7 to 10 per cent. Orchids should have from 10 to 20 per cent. Flowers wilt because of the collapse of the individual cells of which they are made up. They remain fresh as long as the pressure of fluid within and without the cells stays uniform. This balance of pressure depends upon a liquid containing substances in solution, and by "modifying" the water the requisite substances may be artificially furnished. The professors of Rennes state that to change the water in which cut flowers are standing is injurious to the flowers, except when it is necessary in order to prevent the accumulaiion of products of decay. The consumption of cut flowers is enormous. Nothing takes their place in the decoration of rooms and banquet tables ; therefore any available means of lengthening the duration of their freshness —so lamentably brief under the usual conditions —will be eagerly welcomed. Floral adornments of this kind for a single wedding reception or dance in a home of wealth and fashion would brighten the convalescent wards of half a dozen hospitals. Tf the length of life and beauty of cut flowers could be no more than doubled, some of them could be put to this charita' le use daily in every large city after they had served their original purpose.