American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-01-11
Do Plants Eat Meat?

There is no dispute as to the fact that
the so-called carnivorous plants do cap
ture and kill unwary insects. But there
are still many persons of sound mind
who are not prepared to assert that
these cruel vegetables actually digest
and absorb their prey, and grow fat on
the diet taken in this anamolous fashion.
Some time ago it was asserted in a sci
entific journal that Mr.. Francis Darwin
had demonstrated the soundness of his
illustrious fathers well known theory on
this subject, by feeding on butchers
meat certain number of the plants,
while an equal number were allowed to
grow in the same soil and under the
same general conditions, and the result
was difference in growth and product
much in favor of the meat-fed plants.
This statement falling under the eye of
Mr.. Peter Henderson, that gentleman
resolved himself into an investigating
committee, and the details of his exper-
iment are set forth in the Gardeners
Monthly for December. Mr.. Henderson
procured from North Carolina
large number of healthy speci-
mems of dionaa muscipula,
cleansed them thoroughly, and
placed 100 plants in each of two boxes
furnished with a soil similar to that in
their native habitat. The plants were
as nearly alike as possible in size and
vigor, and were placed together in a
ever, was placed very fine wire-net-
ting, to exclude bugs and other game in
which these animated fy-traps are sup
posed to delight, while the plants in boz
No. 2 were allowed the full qualification
of their predatory propensities. OF
course, the uncovered plants closed
their sharp bristle over many an impru-
dent fly, and beside they we're regularly
fed when game was scarce; but, after
three months of careful treatment, there
was no discernible difference in size be-
tween the starved plants and the PAM
pered ones, although the entire lot had
made a wonderfully healthy growth.
On one occasion a distinguished botan-
list from Washington, who is a thorough
believer in the carnivorous-p plant doc
trine, while discussing the results of the
with Mr.. Henderson, turned |
d magnifying glass upon some dioneas |
at hand, and showed what seemed to be |
a minute species of snail in almost every
one of the closed leaf traps. 'There,"
said the botanist triumphantly, "nature
has placed the food-the animal food
directly in the jaws of the plants, where
it is needed for their nourish1sent Isn't
this conclusive pa But subsequent OBJ I
servation showed that the animals were
not digested. On the contrary, they
iourishsd IN the so-called gast1s jnice
which the plant exudcs, according TO
he theory, for their maeeration. The
plants failed to devour the
but the herbivorous mollusks
n time waxed strong and eat up the
plants. Now, a thousand experiments
With the same results would not prove
hat plants do not eat insects and enjoy
hem. They would at best only show
hat the plants gave no evidence of
'eing nourished or stimulated by this
ood-if food it is. But, on the con-
rary, the so-called arguments SO often
rged by Darwinians-to-wit, that the
'lants must digest the insects because
10 other sufficient reason can be as
igned for their conduct, is quite as I'M
How do we know that the
lants do not capture the insects for
an, or out of pure vegetable cussed- I
ess ?-Neso York Tribune.