Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-05-10
INTERFERING WITH NATURE.
'Continued from Page Six.)

cepuohs TO this we know they are onlv
apparent; that the truth is that in
'"eSe cases the act Of inheriting is as
yet lhcompletc-that the new habit
which the parent is seeking to estab-
iisn is not as yet fixed pOsitiveIv
enough 20 show forth in every Off
spring
| NOW: note the conclusion Mr.. R,,r-
banks experiments have brought him
10. Here arc Mr.. Burbanks own
words. as reported by Mr.. Harwood:
/ "A study of animals or plants he-
longing to widely different snecies
and even genera, which have been IN
der similar environment for long
time. will always show similarity in
many respects in the various means
they are compelled to adopt for de-
tense in the preservation and repro
duction of life. Desert plants often
have thorns. acrid qualities. and re-
duced foliage surface. while in moist
climates thOrns are seldom seen and
foliage is more abundant and not so
often acrid or distasteful. Similar
environments produce similar results
| on the life forces, even with the most
dstlntly related plants or animals.
| n.
position to numerous popular theories.
| should be proof enough if proof were
still needed. that acquired characters
are transmitted. All characters which
are Transmitted have once been ac-
| Quired. The life forces are constantly
pressing forward to obtain any spacc
which can be occupied. and. if they
find an open avenue. always make use
| 3, I,
The newly acquired habit of thought
| or action forms. then. a tendency i'm
the new direction. This tendency is
invariably transmitted to the off
spring. Then, if the old tendencies
| are curbed and the new tendencies
carefully nurturcd and encouraged
the new tendency becomes fixed In the
offspring. If plant or child is allowed
to "grow Wild the old undesirable
qualities persist. BY nipping the old
tendencies in the bud the life-force
finds its point of expression in the
new and better tendency.
The life force and the law of growth
are the same in plant or man. The
only difference is that man (sOme pOr-
tien of him, at leasD has developed
intelligence enough to understand and
cooperate with life and law. as Mr..
Burbank does in dealing with his
plants.
Mr.. Burbank improves plants by Of
| ftrrS new opportunities for the life
| force. He creates new channels for
the life stream to flow in. and he cuts
oi or dams up the old channels that
| there may be plenty of life to flow in
the new.
He assists plants to realize their de-
| sircs. DO you suppose cactus
| wants to grow spincs and acrid quail
| ties when it does not need them?
| Don't you suppose q cactus loves
beauty and utility even as you or L?
OF course. Its love or desire for these
| things is just as strong as yours or
| miire. i'm proportion to the degree of
| it's Intelligence. But the cactus has
| had a hard row to noe. In the hot.
| dry deserts it has manifested all the
beauty it could, but it had to protect
itsclf-it had to fight for every drop of
| moisture it got. and 1t had to grow
| spincs to keep others from stealing the
moist urc after it had gathered it.
| Hence the SpiueS and bitterness. But
all the time the cactus lOnged for
beauty and a favOring environment,
| even as you and l. .
| And in time the cactus would have
reclaimed the desert. changed its en-
| rironment Invested itself of the spines
and bitterness. and would have grown
for itself most glorious flowers and
fruit. 1t was OF the right track-all it
needed was time.
Mr. Burbank shortened the time. He
says:
| 'I;y crossing different species we
can form more variations and muta-
tions in half a dozen generations than
will be developed by ordinary varia-
tions in Il hundred, or even u thousand
| generations.
In The Sninelcss Cactus" pub
lishcd in The World Today. for April,
Hamilton Wright says this:
1.-THE plants from cuttings reproduce
the strain of the parent; and although
there is some variation, this variation
is so slight that it would take. MIR.
Burbank says. perhaps thousand
years or so to produce the same result
by cuttings which he has accomplished
in a little over ten years by hybridi"a-
ton and selection. When once strain
is established. however. even the seed
will reproduce in the likeness of the
plant
Desire is the life force; intelligence
forms the channel for it to run In. Left
to their own resources, to follow de-
sire only. plants or men reproduce al
ter their kind. and it takes thousands
of generations to make much advance
ment in any line. By curbing ana
dircctini, the life force. which we call
desire or love, by breeding for
definite purpose. by training parent
and offspring for a definite purpose. by
nippins undesirable tendencies and
encouraging desirable ones. we man.
age to accomplish in a few generations
what would otherwise take thousands
of years. We may make mistakes.
yes. We may develop abnormalltles
which must be got rid of. yes. But
we save thousands of years OF time
| nd &c in, ofn