The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1895-01-09
TREES OR PLANTS THAT G1yELIGHr
Interesting Instances Described by Nat.
uralist.
frot. Charles F. Holder in Northwestern
Christian Advocate.


Christian Advocate
mat a tee or plant could give light
was "eemed figure of the Imagination:
out today it is known that light-uiviro
pants are not uncommon. and amono
the most striking and remarkable of
natural phenomena. Once, in returning
from daV's hunt through deep forest
Ia the heart of the Adirondack region, |
stumbled against dead limb of tree,
when to my amazement | was at once
surrounded by silver light that flew in
all directions like darts and arrows of
IRE, each piece burning where it lay
ms was an unusually brilliant display
OF the best known of luminous plants.
the ''fox fire." or 'Ewitches' glow'' of
childhood days. To the dayman 1T is
often mysterious, as investigation shows
nothing but the decayed wood, and
sometimes a soft, pulpy mass. The
botanist will soon point out the light
giVer in the mycelium of some fungus
that has permeated the old bran ,h, and
falfly taken pc! session Of it, conN sting
1t into glorious spectacle when dis
turbed. The vividness of the light may
be estimated when it is known that print
can often be read by it; and the light of
some has been known to penetrate
through several thicknesses of paper.
Singular to say, the smallest plant
often has the means of producing the
greatest luminous effects. This is the
diatom, which the naturalists of tie
Challenger found floating in the ocean
in vast numbers, and, as the nucleus of
the diatom is often brilliantly phOspho-
resent, some of the most remarkable
displays of light observed by the natu
ralists were occasiO ned by these little
plants. But what shall we say to sight
observed by Norwegian bark in the
bay of Funchal? The waters here are
fairly alive with these little luminous
plants the year round, and on the ocoa
sion referred to a waterspout formed
among them. During the day it would
phenomenon is a common one, but the
crew of the ship we re suddenly confront
ed at night by literal pillar of fire or
light, that extended upward to distance
seemingly of 1000 feet and moved along
with decided bend. identified a pale
yellow light that stood out in strong re-
lief against the black night, weird and
formidable spectacle, rushing on before
the wind.
In the legends of nearly all countries
there are burning bushes and similar
phenomena, which can readily be traced
to luminous plants. In the Hartz noun
tains there has been for ages cave
known as the haunted cavern, and vol
umes could be wri item on the tales of
ghosts and strange phantoms observed
in and about it by the peasantry. Final
ly an Englishman travelling in the vicin-
ity, and hearing of it, determined to in
vestigate the mystery, and, after much
persuasion, obtained too young men to
guide him to the haunted cavern high
among the mountains.
After long climb they reached the
cave but nothing would induce the
guides to remain so the Englishman took
his station in the entrance and waited
until night. No sooner did complete
darkness set in than the phantoTs
of the cave appeared-a remarkable sem
blance to human form, with arms out
spread, outlined against the gloom. If
the truth be told the investigator was
startled; but making his way to the fig
ure that had alarmed Sc many wood
choppers and wayfarers, he found that it
was plant that grew upon the wall in
that shape, it was the we'll known phos-
phorescent fungus Rhizomospho subter-
ranea, frequently found in caves and ia
miliar to miners. Its light is often so
vivid that people have read by it; and
many Of the ghosts that are SEEN in dun
geons caves, and tombs may be traced
to this innocent origin.
Credit is swallowed up in 1894. 1895
-L L oocb Eorrar e. Earrar