The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-02
CarniyOrOus Plants.

Those wonderful plants that have the
habit Of catching and consuming insects
arc at present the favoritc objects of expert
mcnt among naturalists. MIR. Lawson
TAFT communicated to Nature the interest
ing results of his late study of the economy
of the sun-dcw and pitcher-plant. TO de-
tcrmine whether the sun-dcw absorbs nl-
trimcnt by its leaves Mr. TAFT filled three
pots with pure silver sand. In each pot he
placed % uninjurcd plants, after washing
them repeatedly in distilled water; (2)
plants similarly washed and deprived Of
their roots, burying all their leaves in the
sand; (D similarly washed and deprived
of their leaves, the roots being buried in
the sand; az similarly washed and four
leaves buried in the sand, two leaves and
the roots being left above the sand. The
plants were of the species Drose,m rotundi-
toliu, and had sent up a tlowcr-stalk which
was in bud.
For seventeen days one of the pots was
fed with pure distilled water; another with
strong dccoction of beef; and the third
with .OO2G per cent. solution of phosphate
of ammonia. All were carefully protected
from insects. At the close Of the expert
mcnt the plants in the first pot were all
much injured. Those of the second and
third class were entirely dead The leaf
stalks of those whose leaves were buried
were much blackened as the result of over
feeding They had died of too much beef
tea. The plants in the third pot were more
vigorous and active in growth than the
plants in the first pot. Those deprived of
their roots and with their leaves buried
had pushed up new leaves above the sand.
This experiment proves that the sun-dcw
81, /, Inv tic
leaves but can live by their aid alone, and
that heterogeneous material increases its
vigor.
Mr.. TAFT has heretofore reported the dis
covery of substance closely resembling
pcpsin in the secretion OF the Dr0seirt
dichotoma. Lie now announces that he has
found it in the fluid contained in the
pitchers of the Nepenthes pitcher- plants
native to the East Indies). The fluid in
the virgin pitchers revealed its presence,
if at ali, in minute quantities, but that in
pitchers into which flies had found their
way was strongly impregnatcd with it. In
studying the action of insects that visited
the pitchers MI TAFT remarked that they
were guided by spike-like hairs-that in
tercepted their course in every other direc-
tion-to the lip of the pitcher. Here
they paused, and seemed to enjoy some
secretion which seems to be formed out on
the glazed surface of the lip. Then they
travelled onward, and met the fate of their
companions. l found about thirty of these
insects in this pitcher, and as they were in
various stages of digestion l presume
they were cntrapped at different times. l
could see no reason why they all went to
this pitcher, though no doubt there was
one The secretion in which they were
being digested was very viscid and very
acid: In the unopened pitcher the secre.
ton is only family acid and not at all
viscid. The secretion is increased, there.
fore, as Mr. Darwin has shown to be the
case in Drosera, in quality after food has
been taken in. The glands
which line the pitchers differ considerably
from the Dionea Venus tly-trap), and they
are placed in curious little pockets Of
epithelial cells, the meaning OF which is
not evident