The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-04-19
TFor thc Dispatch.1


Curious "a the doctrines of metamorpho-
sis may appear, they are founded on physi-
illogical principles which we can discover
and appreciate. There is nothing surpass-
ing beliefsin the statement that stamen is
only leaf transformed and modified to cx-
ecute special purpose; nothing incredible
in the fact Of leaf composed of cellular It's
sue being increased by proper treatment
from square inch to a square foot in di-
mension; but there is something incredible,
something beyond all our ordinary concep-
tions Of the uniformity OF Natures workings,
in the statement that one plant can be trans
muted into another; that, for example,
barley may be converted into oats, or oats
into rye; yet is this doctrine affirmed upon
evidence Of certain carefully-conducted eX-
periments.
From the many statements that have been
published respecting this curious subject,
we select that of DR.. Weissenborn. He
states: "With reference to the transforma-
ton OF oats into rye, this remarkable phe-
nomepon has not only been verified by new
experiments. but we have caused beds to
be sown with oats, in order that we may be
able to convince disbelieyers, by producing
rye-stalks which have sprung from the
crown, that shows the witbered leaves Of
the oat-plant OF the previous year. l re-
peat that this transformation does take
place If oats are sown very late
(about mid-summer), and cut twice as
green fodder before shooting into ear,
the consequence OF which is that consid-
erable number Of oat-plants do not die
in the winter, but are changed in the
following spring into rye, forming stalks
that cannot be known from those OF
the finest rye. We must expect that this
fact will be considered by some as mere
assertion, and that there are others still In
doubt about it. Let any one sow oats during
the latter end OF June, cut them twice for
fodder before shooting into ear, and the
transformation in question will certainly
take place. The time OF sowing the oats
did not formerly appear of paramount inn
portance, nor was it believed that it would
make any difference whether the oats were
cut more than twice; in consequence OF
which q few experiments have failed.
Now, however, we must conclude that II
the transformation occasionally takes place
accident, depending on q peculiar state OF
the weather or other casualties, whereas
the result is certain il the oats are
sown toward the end of June. II the
soil is too dry about that time,
one of the reporters on the subject
to the Agricultural Society OF Coburg con-
cludes, from an experiment he made, that
one watering, so rs to enable the oats to ger
inmate, may be recommended; although
il this is done repeatedly the high telnpera-
ture OF the season will cause the plants to
grow so luXurantly as to require cutting
three times to prevent them from forming
their ear, whereby the object would be
wholly or partially lost. If, however,
among those who doubt the fact there be
found people who pity us because we trust
more to actual experiment than to theory,
we should almost feel tempted to pity those
theorists whose self-sufticiency has prevent
ed them from thoroughly investigating an
important phenomenon which was noticed
many years ago. Nor can we commend the
discernment OF those who are unable
to discover in the plants in question
both the preceding years dry stubble and
leaves OF the oats and the fresh stalks
and leaves of the rye, which latter form
in May upon the crown OF the oat-plant
and produce fine winterrye. The Society (of
Coburg) takes credit to itself for persever-
ance in having struggled against an opin-
ion OF the public for several years in order
to establish fact which no psychologist
would believe, because people are always
apt to confound the laws Of nature with
those Of their systems." a
The common faith of naturalists Is that
what they call species is immutable; in
other words, that an animal or plant Will
give birth to others oBsy OF its own species.
But what is species? Are we so familiar
with Natures secrets rs to determine abso-
lutely what are species and what varieties?
The advocates for tranSmutation in plants
do not expect that cow will ever give
birth to horse, or that an oak will spring
from the seed OF an apple. They merely
affirm that many plants now regarded as
distinct species, or even genera, may be
made, under certain conditions, to assume
the characteristics OF each other; and they
point to the transmutation OF oats into rye,
both belonging to the same natural order OF
Gramine, as evidence of their assertlon.-
Curiositaes of Plants.
The irreyerence OF Martin I. Townsend