National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-03-02
NATURAL HISTORY.
Fourth Lecture by DR.. John G. Norris at the
Memorial Church


DR.. Morris was greeted by a well.flled house
on Friday evening to listen to the fourth lecture
on natural history. The subject, "Some Remark
able Phenomena in the Vegetable Kingdom"
was full Of interest, and the audience appeared
we'll pleased with the Doctors very instructive
discourse. He said: "This is not q lecture
botany, for that is not in my line, and is regarded
by great many persons as dry and uninterest-
ing, think, because teachers have not managed
the subject properly. They have alarmed their
pupils by an array Of long names in the beginning,
without displaying the real nature OF plants and
their wonderful growth. l have come tonight to
speak to you of some of the remarkable phenom-
ena of vegetation. The world is full OF wonders,
and curious things are displayed in the vegetable
ture and growth Of plants, and gave, among 9TH
ers, the following interesting illustrations:
In some flowers the stamens are 50 arranged
that the pollen cannot fall upon the stigma with
out external help. Sometimes the wind will drive
IL ever to the pistils and the process is accom-
and insects are the agents employed by Heaven
Tor the purpose Of fructifying these plants. More
thar half eur flowers would not bloom If the bees
and butterflies did not convey the pollen. There
ii such q thing as vegetable instiact II you put
a pail Of water near the stem of pampkin, it
will in the night approach it and be found in the
the convolvulus, il will find it. Roots draw their
nOurishment from the soil; they must have mois-
naked rocks twenty feet IN search Of water. Who
told the plant that the water was in that dlrec-
ton? Is there anything Inherent IN this from
the instincts of animals? You have heard of the
vitality of seeds. II certain seeds not exposed
to the air there is no limit to their vitality. Plant
them after q succession Of years and they will
still grow. man digging we'll at q great dis
lance from the sea found sea sand, which was
taken out and laid by itself After while a
number of small trees pushed themselves through
the sand and they were watched and found to be
the beach plum, which is found only on the sea
shore. Seeds have lain hundreds Of years, and
yet they terminated after being brought to the
surface, to the light and air. Three strawberry
skull in an ancient Roman mound, where they
had lain two thousand years thirty feet below
ground, showing the wonderful vitality of seeds.
You have noticed something remarkable In the
growth of roots, sometimes lifting the pave
meDts. Beans and acornS in the spring lit the
ground two hundred times their own weight. A
mushroom has been known to lift block Of stone
weighing forty pounds, and It has been demon
strated that a certain squash has been able to
Tilt weight of five hunored pounds by placing 1t
in a box while growing under that weight. Next
the caTniyerous habits of plants. Some plants
feed on animals. There is the American pitcher
plant that grows about Washington, and bears a
beautiful purple flower. If you examine one at
the proper season you will md this leaf pitcher
is full OF saetarne liquid. This attracts Insects
they gorge themselves with 1t and are drowned.
Why don't they get out? They cannot, for the
inside of the leaf is covered with stiff hairs bend
ing dUwnwards. AS result Of this curious ar
rangement they decompose there, the leaves tall
quired by this plant. The Venus Fly Trap, a
plant in North Carolina, has clrIously con-
structed leaves which shut like book. On the
margin are bristles, the leaf folds together and
imprisOn the intruder: the insect is decomposed
and absorbed into the Leaf and thus digested by
the plant.
The closing lecture will be given on Friday
evening.