Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1883-05-12

scope, pointing towards the large end.
At the little end, the shoot is made into
similar substance, which attaches it
to the two lobes. AS soon as the root
pushes up the lobes, they open and
form the two first leaves of the new
plant often carrying the seedcover
above the ground several inches high.
Beginning from this rootlet at the lit
tleend can be seen also very plainly
the lillets and depressed lines, which are
exhibited on the matured leaf. If a
Lima bean is thus examined, or our
largest seed, the structure will show at
that point where the bean was attached
to the matrix, the bean-pod or hull, a
very plain root with the embryo new
shoot-leaves, to which below are at.
tached again, the large two lobes, as to
the watermelon seed, like them, form
ing the two first leaves.
Now l ask Rusticus, where do these
seed draw their nourishment? Ger
tainly not from the matrix,. the old pod
that is dry and gone, not from the
"starch" lobes, for they are turned sim
ply from opaque into green leaves.
They draw it from the root which at
once penetrates the soil and sustains the
new plant.
Now take another instance from ami.
NAL life, when the egg is first matured
in the mother matrix of the hen, and
then is further developed in the egg it.
self. When the egg is laid, it is an in
dependent existence and no longer
"sucks its mother" The egg, however,
abides its time, and when the mother
or an artificial incubator, applies the
needed heat and moisture, it goes Oh
with its retarded evolution. The chick
is gradually formed the shell and it,
contents sustaining the part of the ma
trix, and growth after the manner o.
animals which are matured in the
womb. Now | ask Rusticus, does the
potato "eye" differ in any respect from
all other animal and vegetable growth
If it does, in what2 Is this "tuber'
exceptional in all nature? II it is
the burden of proof lies upon him ii
going contrary to all the proven data o
science. So then | am sustained by
science, logic and reason. Now w
come to experience. As soon as hea
and moisture are favorable, the "eye'
sends out a small shoot; this widens
filling the depression with a bulb, from
which the roots begin Immediately
pointed and smooth at the end and al
the rest covered with hair.like roots
and they again branching into simila
side shoots. The stem is made of
tube filled with more transparent pulp
at intervals appear the leaf, buds AM
leaves. ALI the points, from thei
earliest entrance into the air, show
yellow discoloration, which shows tina
light or air has already begun thei
changes; and the same short hairs ar
seen near the "eye." This is the ar
pearance of a sprout about three inche
long examined from a potato from
dark cellar, by microscope-smal
reddish spots already appearing on tn
stalk near the potato. The sprou
pulled out is comparatively short an
small, and breaks with stringy frat
ture, which would naturally result fror
a want of the same structure and vital
ity of the stem,
Now ask Rusticus if the stem RI
ceiveS ample support from the potat
starch, why this violent attempt {
nature to reach the earth by roots
Evidently the sustenance of the potato
stem is up to this stage drawn from tn
internal embryo and sustained by tn
air. But if the potato is removed int
dry floor these shoots, having e1
hausted their forces, dry and die, leav
ing the starch bulbs eatable in the con
, ing spring and summer. l remar
that the flesh under the stem was fres
looking and granulated as the who
mass of the bulb, and no more shruke
than some other bulbs which have NJ
, sent out their sprouts.
: Now, otter all, comes the critics
test of experiment. AS | have befol
D said, l have been experimenting wit
. potatoes since 1871. Many kinds al
sent me by the growers of new sort
| in "eyes," worth about A cents pc
eye. These eyes being very small