The Red Cloud chief., 1878-05-23

M~etamsrphsis II Pfasts.
CURIOUS ne the doctrines NJ mctamor.
phosis may appear, they are founded on
physiological principles which W. can
| discover and appreciate. There IL no.
| thing surprising belief In the statement
| that n -tamen Is only n leaf transform.
| ed and modified 10 execute q special
purpose; nothing incredible In the fact
~ \ leaf composed of cellular tissue
being increased by proper treatment
from a square inch "a n square foot In
dimension; but there II something i'm
credible, something beyond nil our ordi-
nary conceptions NJ the uniformity of
Natures workings. In the statement
that one plant n be- Transmitted into
another; that. for example. barley may
| bc converted into oats, or oats into rye;
yet II this doctrine affirmed upon cvi.
dcncc of certain carefully conducted eS.
periments.
been published respecting this curious
| subject. we select that of DIR. Weisscn-
horn. He states; with reference TO
the transformation of oats into rye. this
remarkable phenomenon has not only
been verified by new experiments. but
we have caused beds 10 be- sown with
oats. In order that we may be able 10
convince disbelicvers, by producing
ryc-stalks which have sprung from
| the crown, that shows the withered
leaves of the oat-plnnt of the preyi.
u year. ] repeat that this transform
alton does take place II oats are sown
very late (about mid-summer.) and cut
twice M green fodder before shooting
into ear. the consequence Of which Is
that a considerable number of oat-plants
do not die In the winter. hut are chang
I'd the following spring into rye. form
Ing stalks that cnnnOt ne known from
those of the finest rye. We must expect
that this fact will be considered by some
m q mere assertion. and that there are
others still In doubt about II. Let any
n SOW oats during the latter end Of
June, cut them twice for fodder before
shooting into ear, ind the transformn-
ton In question will certainly take place.
The time Of sowing the oats did not for.
merly appear Of paramount Importance.
70 was II believed that II 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 with oats sown too early, that Is
merely an accident, depending on u pc.
culiar state Of the weather or other cas-
ualities, whereas the result Is certain IL
the oats are sOwn toward the end Of
June. II the soil In too dry about that
time. n Of the reporters on the sub
ject to the Agricultural society nj Co.
burg concludes. from an experiment he
made. that n watering, so as to On.
able the oats To gcrminate. may be re-.
commended; although II this II done re.
peatedly. the high temperature Of the
season will cause the plants I o grow so
luxuriantly y to require cutting three
times to prevent them from forming
their ear. whereby the object would be
wholly or partially lost. II. however.
among those who doubt the fact there
be- found people who pity us because we
trust o to actual experiment than to
theory. we should almost feel tempted
to )pity those theorists whose self-suhi-
cheney has prevented them from thor
oughly investigating an important phe.
nOmenon which was noticed many car
ago. Nor can we commend the dis
comment 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 winter rye. The So
cicty (of Coburg) takes credit tn itself
for perseverance In having struggled
against an opinion OF the public for sev-
which no Psychologist would believe.
because people are always apt to con.
found the laws Of nature with those Of
their systems"
The common faith of naturalists Il
that what they call species Is immuta.
bio; In other words, that an animal or
plant will give birth To others only Of
its " species. But what Is species?
Are we so familiar with Natures Sc
crcts ~ to determine absolutely what
are species and what varieties? The
advocates for transmutation in plants
do not expect that n cow will evcr give
birth to 4 horse, or that an oak vii,
spring from the seed Of an apple. They
merely affirm that many plants now re-
garded as distinct species, or even gen.
era, may DO made, under certain condi-
tons, to assume the characteristics Of
each other; and they point to the trans
mutation Of oats into rye, both belong
ing to the same natural order of Gram.
inW, ~ evidence Of their assertion
CMriosities Of Plants.