Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-09-16
Flesh Eating Plants-Remarkable Ex-
DerimentS


DR.. Hooker read before the British
Association at Belfast, the other day,
paper upon "Some Carnivorous Plants
and their Habits" topic which he OBJ
served had recently acquired new and
special interest from the researches of
DIR. Darwin into the phenomena that
accompany the placing of albuminous
substances of the leaves Of dionma and
other plants, and which, in the opinion
OF every eminent Psychologist, proved
that, in the case of dionoea at least,
this plant digests exactly the same SUBJ
stances in exactly the same way as the
human stomach. With these researches
Mr.. Darwin was still actively engaged,
and it was with the view of aiding him
that the President had, under Mr.. OAR
wins instructions, examined some other
carnivorous plants at Kew After
giving the history of the subject and
mentioning that the discovery made
with regard to these plants had long
been unnoticed, DR.. Hooker exhibited
a specimen of dionoea which spread it's
leaves out, and when fly was captured
instantly closed upon it. Examination
showed that the fly was dissolved in
the digestive fluid, exactly like ordi-
nary gastric fluid, belonging to the leaf
When the fly was completely dissolved
the leaf spread out again, ready once
more for it's prey. A leaf of the do
noea was fed with piece Of beef, upon
which it closed, and did not open again
until the beef was consumed. Cheese
disagreed horribly with the leaves,
T.
exhibited other carnivorous plants, and
explained the traps laid in the leaves
and appendages where the plants
caught their victims and fed themselves
with the animal food which came in
their way. Mineral substances had
been placed on the leaf which had
shut upon fly or an ant, but it showed
no sign of contracting. The fine hairs
on the leaf closed gently over a piece
of wet chalk, but soon reopened,
leaving the chalk free. Before Mr..
Darwin's studies these phenomena were
little appreciated. It was a generai-
zatiOn, now almost household word,
that all living things had a common
bond OF union IN a substance which
underlies all the details of structure.
This was called protopiasm. One of
it's most distinctive properties was it's
aptitude to contract, and in any given
organism the particles of protoplasm
were so arranged that they acted as it
were in concert. They produced cumu-
lative effects which were very manifest
in the results. Such a manifestation
was found in the contraction of muscle,
and such manifestation they possibly
had also in the contraction of the leaf
of the dionea. All students of the
vegetable side Of organized nature were
astonished to hear from DR.. Sanderson
that certain experiments, which he had
made at the instigation of Mr.. Darwin,
proved to demonstration that when a
leaf of this plant contracts the effects
produced are precisely similar to those
which occur when muscle contracts.
Not merely then were the phenomena
of digestion in this wonderful plant
like those Of animals, but the pheno-
mena of contractility agreed with those
of animals also. Though the processes
Of plant nutrition were in general ex-
tremely different from those of animals,
and involved very simple compounds,
the protoplasm of plants was not ab-
solutely prohibited from awaiting itself
of food such as that by which the
protoplasm of animals was nourished.
Under this point of view the phenom-
mena Of these plants would find their
place as one more link to the continuity
of nature.
Professor Huxley said that the phen-
omena described by Dr. Hooker sug-
gested, with others, perhaps the great
est problem at present open to them.
They found in dionna actions which
exactly correspondent with what were
reflections in ours elves. The plant,
when the insect touched portion of it's
leaf, shuts it exactly as an infant hand
shuts when touched in the palm This
implied nervous system, and it showed
continuity in protoplastic matter. The
solution of the phenomena Of the action
Of protoplasm in the plant was matter
which would confer great honor on him
who found it.
An Intelligent Sheep Dog.
Al 1Do4oDoo Of ovtro NOW, III.