The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-07-13
WHAT is AcTlNlSM?- SOME CURIOUS
FACTS.

Actinism is the chemical power which is
necessary to excite termination in plants.
It emanates from the blue ray fthe spectrum
and is the same power which operates on
the sensitive silver in photography; photo
graphy being, by the way, an entire misno-
mer, since the pictures are drawn by the
actinic power, and not by the luminous ray.
Nav, more, the blue, the luminous ray, is,
like the red, y positive hindrance to the
working Of the actinic power. It is most
difficult to obtain good Photographic results
under the bright sun Of the tropics. More
over, if a spectrum be thrown on prepar~
ed Photographic surface, there will be two
points only where the paper is preserved
positively white, namely, the points on
which the red and tho yellow rays are re-
spectively collected in the spectrum. Meth
er will seeds terminate so long as they are
exposed to the bright light. Again, by an
other experiment it can be satisfactorily
proved that the trail in the blue ray alone
renders that power which is the sole agent
in photography; for if we exclude the blue
rays by passing all the light admitted
through yellow glass, the most sensitive
Photographic material may be exposed to
the strongest sunshine without undergoing
any change whatever.
The result Of experiment is, that germina-
ton is excited by the actinic power Of the
blue ray; the formation of leaf and wood by
the luminous power Of the yellow ray; and
the development ofthe flower and fruit by
the heat Of the red ray. How the actinlc
| ray reaches the seed in the ground is hard
to understand; but that it does penetrate
where the luminous ray is unable to reach
| is plain from experiments, which 60 also to
show that the exclusion OF the luminous ray
is necessary for the operation ofthe actinic.
Shade is always, absolute darkness some
times. necessary for the success OF the ger
minating process Plant cress seed an inch
deep in three plots; over the first blue,
over the second yellow, and over the
third q red glass. The seeds under the
blue grass will be up days before those I'm
der the red and Of those under the red .
few only will terminate. Those under the
yellow will not terminate at all. 1t is found
TINT those seeds which come up under a
white glass, in from eight to fourteen days,
will under blue glass, be up in from two
to five days; that where thirty per cent. o.
seeds came up before, sixty per cent. can
now be raised; and that some seeds from
tropical countries. which could not formerly
be raised i'll this climate under white frame
will germinate freely under blue one. II
would sccn that the depth 10 which the oil
can penetrate the soil is the measure OF thu
dep,A OF examination. This is the practi.
cal result. There appears TO be no limit to
the duration Of the dormant vitality Of seeds
50 long as they arc preserved from chemlca
change. The mummy wheat sprang VI
agniA under the actinic ray, after IT had
been sealed from the air for nearly three
thousand years. The seeds in the coal meas
ures have, unfortunately, undergone grea
chemical changes; otherwise there woult
be no reason why we should despair Of see
! ing the Indigenous palm groves Of this lant
fiourishing once more.