New-York tribune., 1874-08-14
CHANGE BY GRADUAL MODIFICATION NOT
THE UNIVERSAL LAW.

THOMAS MEEHAN OE GEkNlANlONN' fi-NN'
The paper opens with the suggestion that
If it can be proved that change with gradual moil;a
ton ana change by the sudden appearance OF distinct
form are bOth good morphoOsical laws In plant life,
then there Is no why both laws not be- oper-
alive in any in which mOrphoogy i Gale 10
act Ia Piits the fest pushing OF the axis from the
cotyledOn0us condition of the plant, fat leaves are de-
veoped. often inch or more in length. After some
time these leaves are suddenly arrested. and the
axary buds suddenly develop into iasclce5 OF whlt
are popularity called needles" In It's nOrli condition
there is an equally preciptaut transformation. The
leaf 30 suddenly arrested early life becomes "a
brac; the asclculi unite TO form tue scale; the ax,
stops cOnsatns aud gives Tor 10 the "Io, iDI' SUI
"a chtn-t OF Iplt ID I'M ,Ft't'ut Oh az j. .J t'-
mon. the migHOla an! r0dendr0n anJgdiAg lhirre,r
ing examples. In instances whore the learbIdde -
mrttmorphO'ed 40 "fh 'Ie p','I, no IoI''l ~ SUI SUI
denly auI entirely arrested AMI TIE sp pIeS as sud
oped and TRANSFORMED silpGl.s aud All without the
slightest trace o. gradual M iiacdt.ji.
NJW, 10 variations ln sp"riio t,iI' there are great
HcsiG from the seed OF Le'si trGierd l. more an
fcrch from is parent tCJI D., H. 0t5ed Iue cOTJii,
instead OI D'lhg Ul,'i M ''- ~" ''Il' "i'"
barely the length OF the stImcns. The leaves are
broadly ovatt ami rugOsr NJ. 4irenHh al ntst sup
posed 10 1t ayOdh@ apple tct' l"c-' Vtt"t"'O"
-Iuc OF several hundr"ds-in one great leap "hch
separated 1t from the others, has taken To- opening 10
flowers twO weeks earlier tam tAe ir ld.Ie are SIM
liar sports III raising peaches and other tfuit Iheri
I1oEiig lar more ike l. lsI-h woodbne than an
aZtlri, bat which spriuS Hihoht ANY llterneilitc
a.d from 70 GyDtJstrObts endHitS, ana no one coal u
say wu.ch one or nc otier IAis seemi ieip IA
In, rtsr OF the GtypttTJ,H5 To "A hcW genus IhUi
Occ3.HtlljS OF Whose pis",&sa N.Y. 'ireh"i i J '-
sured declared 10y Liza "uhOrly 10 DE Het"oSp2'd
Tae common OX-rye ddI'V IL 'Nct.'uu-! s"'D,e' out
the most dVcr-oHt 'ru7 are not tuc product of SO"
variation; they are oftcn parent anl cLti. Gyrut5
Ht. ceis sud iculy wary ng INTO Gtyct1e HdgHct Is
- different tadt many nave supposed II usllncI spe-
Taose strange forms, once bora, con be reproduced
from seed ahd pcrpctulio their ptculiauties. I.'e
peach hA- il branches at very acute aH9I' upWIr.
ANGLE ti some thirty years ago a weeping variety
sprlng into existence with sIfohg ausc downward,
aud ts seeds ptrprtdi'J f'proiHce init lorl' Lac
deep b.oOdeayed pcacn Is an"theF sudden jump from
tuc usual srecu-edved form ana equally persistent.
The Siberian dOF rae Il another et1ts ledI liV .o
Ihiga 0ccettS, aud rcpl oducc itself nom seed Mt
rart ~ known any -rI%iuE form - originate
ny pr1ual notifications bus always 10y great I.tp
tc .ht changes usually steps backward, Dat even
reyersIons not always SrLudi distances were al
duced in support of t.l,. Ihc common Bibylonitu
lcy. sDori-d IN a rc" with snsulIrly carved leaves
n.eqJe known a. SIfir BGyiOHicI dHHttUts. Ole Of
these trees, % years sdi ehf Pi'hsI OL, the ltS
Mr. Meehan declares mat Lae9t sports" spring into
localities siA dueOu-y lie has hai from ave dlnr
eut 1cAI"ics two ~ PauuSylydnla one IL Ncw-19rh
o". IN Illinois. and IN Ilitni-fOwcrs OF IiO!d
DsiIdt In which the Two upper peiais hid th5 dttP
maroon Of the pIusy Good reasons nave been gwen iu
previous papers for bcc'ing that Identical foine o.
bldckuerr"s aud taspbcr.le' otlShate III ulsASt lo
cltes. THIS year tue iiriOdenGfoh e&hlotS hiA it,
leaves as from five t. ,cSeulIOed, lnstedd OF TIE usul
eenb.d characteristics There l. lOrm or It3ti
eucuidt growing IN wet places ia Pcnnsy'dua winch
usually thrills the heart OF tue young O"taust Nilh thc
none thit he found species, II looks 80 dhcr-
eni missed color; nut when the individual plant Is
anuyz.d 1t presents no change from the usual lOfl
Aulug to the made by 81 George MVai, IN OppO,-
in, Darwin simliar tAct- ddduccd previously Ut it
N.eu, the latter states hlr belief that Changes IN
nutrition most important factor III oh'uses Oh
form Various fungi attacking plants wll produce aD-
nnrual but Xcd cndnscr, wnHu sometimes ancct the
whole character oi the plant An HehIfm growing on
| a euphoFba in the Rocky Mountains 80 changed the
character OF the latter tprObaby Ehuisrd or r. ndei1
lata) that from being creeping pant II became erect
Ar concludes with the following Proposition
m Morphoog gca changes IN individual plants are not
nIw,y, by GRADUAL notifications "a Variations from
| snscn, form, follow the same law 3) Variations
are often sudden aud also Of such decided character
| =. 10 seem generic. a. These sudden formations
themselves similarly Ia all respects 70 forms
snringing from gradual modihcatiOus t5D Variations
~ smiar In widely separated localities
"a Variations occur In communities OF plants simul-
t,neousy by causes affecting nutrition, ana perhaps by
other causes Mr MeehaR argues from these premises