, 1877-12-26
foo, IA hxrd 10 Il stake In fhr ground, and II |
held hy an ASSISTANT while the smith nails on I
hh A1nH
Production and DIstti1,utten of Organic
Mnttcf.

The acitnttfc cllltor 81 }fdrtNr's Monthly EtFrs
this sketch "0n tho FoFcch that Produce tic
Organization OF Plants" lie combats the doc
trtne .of the existence OF tho vital force OF the
phYsloogtsts ss homogeneous aud distinct
power. lie says:
living structures far from bcinR tho products
OF ono such homogeneous power, arc rather tho
rcsiltants VI tho notion Of multitude oi ulatc-
M foree;. or1ty Ss;'o sn s1s,ts .thcs tns
powers which operate both OIL tnnsscs md
ntoma, aro called tuto action, and hence 1t ~
that tho very evolution OF living form depends
on the condition TINT all these various agents
consptrc. Organized beings md organized bod
les bpring forth tn those positions only TO which
the rays Of the sun hare access. They nre
therefore limited to tho atmosphere. tho sca,
and tho auEfaee Of the easth.
II We expose aosne sprtng.watcr to the s.1i,-
shine, though It may have been clear and trals-
parent At hrst, It presently begins 10 assutnc q
matter collect on tho edca Of Tho vessel In which
1t IA contained, On these llocke, whenever tho
'tnn ~ shining, bubbles Of Ems may be tter,
which, II collected, proTe to he a mixture ot
variable. Meantime tho green matter rnpilly
grows, ttB ncw parts, 40 they nro developed, be-.
ing NIL day long covered with sir-bollt, which
disappear as soon as tho sun IL set. II these
observations he made on stream q watef tho
current ol which runs slowly, It will b. fouud
that thn green mntter scrrcs as food for thOu-
sands OF nquatte insects which mako their hab-
itatlons II It,, These insccts arc inducd. with
puwers Of rnpid iocomotion, md posscss a high
II organized structure: In their turn they fall
nprcy to tho fsllcs which frequent sucll strcams-
Thus bY tho influence of the sunlight orgnnIc
matter 10 adlel to vegetable systems, the action
being accompanied by variety Of chemical de-
compositions md interstittni diflusipns. Tho
substances arising ARG such ~ nru necessary Tor
tho uses Of the pant, Mid In order 10 dlstrtbuto
them mechanical motions have to take place.
| This I'll tho moro highly organized plarts goes
| u,Micr the ucslgnason or tho flow Of tho sap.
| Tho flow of tho sap in p!ants md Tho cires,in-
tton Of tic blood In ariMnls nrc probably due to
the sumo physical cause. Ana bringing into
| view the experiments already related rcspeettng
capillary attraction. considered tic conditions
necessary for producing continual flow, such
as evaporation, decomposition solution, 3cvcl-
| uptnC Tho general Inv OF those movements. md
illustrating tho great force with which thcv arc
accomplished. I showed that these motions
dspGna ~ ta!s nhysita , Principle: 5 %1hnt
capillary tnbu, pr In . porous Or parcn~
chJlnatous structure, and hare for TINT t,tbo or
structurc different afllnitics, movement will
ensue; TINT liquid which l!as the most cnergetic
and may eycn dssve the other liquid entirely be-
| foro lt;' aud that this Ia duo to common capil-
lary attraction. which, in It's turn'' due to
Applying thls principle to tho case Of plants,
t,tcd Is dcrtred from tho ground by the. aetiun
Of tie spongioles, aud consists Of watcr holding
to tho plant, nfong with. carbontc acfd, ctr:
This passes Upward By tho woody ibra anil
duets OF tho alburnam, making It's way to tho
toaf osnd on tbs uDpss surface rtsa,, Of when,
i. cl!en,isai i constitution ocea!s S'"tS throush
tho influence OF tho sunlight. It OBJ
talns quantity Of carbon. Thu elaborated
scends through lts cellular tt.sue and Intercel-
lulas spaces, finding !ts'way BY tho route Of the
mctulIary rays to al parts Of tho plant. Dur.
Ing Its descent tho different ycgvsabie pIinciplcs
moved from IT.. and . certain quantity goes
down to tho roots purity to all IN their growth.
anl partly to throw new quantities Of asccnlng
sap Into tho tree. III this slcsccnt the olsburat-
cd sap moves through system OF ycssc1s which
anastonnose with ono another III tho sanlo NAH
ncr rs tho capillary vessels Of animals.
There ers, therefore, two ponts IN 1hla clscr'
.no we r9auhfs aa atsntEo H.
nothing but tbs young succulcnt extromtlcs OF
| tho roots, which llavo been recently
formed from portions Of tho descend
%s snsc!cs ot maeaainou. nu s 3 seluto. s rsee.c,y
therefore. as water Will pass through the t|ss,ic
OF bladder tho interior Of Which IL filled with
guln-watcF, 30 will moisture from tho ground
dow through tho spcnrIole. There IL nc, dlfli-
Guilty III thus accounting for tho rise OF the as
ccndtnH tap on the prtttcipe Of capillary attrar-
tion, and lnlecd tlts Is the ::e1plalatlon eencr~
i ally FeCe&TE1l uY fCRcLA1le pHJbl0&pH1&t4s
Guided bT tho principle aboYe laid down, Of
fcrcd the following as an explanation Of tho
action Of tho Leaf. Tho ascending sap which
wo may nssame 10 DO q weak, WatcrY solution,
obtalns carbonlc acid from Tho n,r; Of this the
| sunlight effects Tho dccotnpo.ltion, with tho
production OF yum, tho result bcng change
from waller 10 8 mucllaEnuus solution In tho
liquids engaycd, water and mucilaginors 80,
luton. On tho principle above Indicated, tho
watcr will drive tho muelag'noua solution hr-
fore I, ana force It buck along its proper ves'
What, thcn, l. tho reason that tho light ol
tho sun controls tho rap!dltY with which the
ascending current eomcsl bccauso 1t controls
tho amount Ut carbonic acld reduced, midi here.
Is 1t that the upward fow ul,nintslcs when
clia,gcs aEo befallllg tho lcarcs, and why does
It stop In tho wntcE1 because ths n,uella9D.
oua solution .nl1o BY light d'nl,,shes III qaaa'
tity or ceases to DO formed altogether.
Thcte arc. therefore, two sources u forcs IN
4 towering p'Qnt-the spongtole and tic leaf
and they derive theEr power from ordinary phys'
ical principles. Whatever has been sud respect.
inE the 1no7etnonts Of sap III exos.c.'ous plants
i npplles aldo 10 thu russ Of cndo2vnous, aud In
. deed tu nowcrlcss plants too.
It has bton clearly established by tha re-
, searches OF comparative anatomlsts that tho
psescnce Ut 4 crrulatDry mechanism ts deter.
uslned BY tho Capitalization ot thu uusrlttyo a,ld
! respiratory apparatus. e1ogenous aud en. en-:
|
iqutl aud solil materials ARC intfcxleed 1t dls.
i tans polnts, ehsnucls oi communication frou,
! Que to tho other, aud iudeel " esery part. ase
: required, and hence the intEolncttoa Ut clrcu
j tatory apparatus. tn tho lower tttocs Of se:se-
table life, whesu tho 9eparatfon Of function docs
= ! not exist. the clscalatory mechanism Is cor
: respondn1ly absent. sea-Wcet!s absorb OF
: their whole surface, and nutrition Is direct
I II carriud forward ut tho points Ut rcccp
. ton. In !!chcns there IL tho drst appeasanrc o
i trantusory mcchunIs1n, arislug from tho CIR
I cungtance that oY ttoso parts which arc sl,alet
q from ths light absorption most rup!Ily takei
{ place: here probably, however, tho ehanncls .
= movement arc thG !nterspaccs between tn,
coils, ur,u the CAUSE siulp!o capillary attraction
! | Ia mushrooms there II eloser approximation
higher ptants, for in them ttio r0atlcts RllsorI
7 nutrient matter trosn the soil, trona which II
J. passes by capillary action to every part Of tn
|, | system.
q dow ertng plants, both Of tue rlsu Of tha eTud
;. sap and Tho descent Of tho elaborated sap, Ia tt
d lght Of tho sua. which cfRects tho deconapoaI
r / tfon Of ca{bouis egad.
n I rna{1Y ctuEnf. GnfpH.