Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-02
Dr.. MacDougal's Experiments
in Plant Activities.
49, ~
AT A BOTANICAL GARDEN
Interesting Developments of Rapid
Change of Species.
THE INJECTION OF CHEMICALS
Into Plants Has Caused Them to Pre-
sent Offspring Differing Materially
From Parent Plant.

DR.. Daniel Trembley MacDougal. direc-
tor Of the botanical activities OF the Car
negie Institution. Washington. D. c.. and
member Of the advisory board OF the New
York Botanical Garden. of which he was
assistant director for several years, has
Just concluded a visit to the latter institu-
ton. The main object OF the visit was
noting the results of experiments on the
origin of species and inaugurating a new
series of experiments on the same lines.
The doctor has been experimenting at the
garden in this important field for upward
of 1--WE years In active cooperation with
Prof Hugo de Vries of Amsterdam.
Prof. De yrtes devoted twenty years of
his life to persistent experiment and most
painstaking study of results before an
nouncihs to the world of science that ma
ture did not always demand ages of time
In which to develop q new species by the
slow process Of an Infinite number Of In
fnitestmal changes. On the contrary, he
FOUND that new species frequently develop
at once from parent plants. This rapid de-
veiopment OF species at q jump, as. 1t were,
has come to be known to scientists BIS the
origin OF species by mutation
important results. corroboratlve of Prof.
De Vrfes conclusions, are constantly be-
ing obtained at the garden. but more i'm
portant, perhaps. at least one way of fore
ing such development OF new species has
been discovered by DR.. MacDougal. The
first 1ntimation that such forced develop
ment might prove possible was made by
DR.. MacDougai IN lecture before the
Bernard Batonicaf Club Columbia Uni
announced that the injection Of certain
chemicals into the ovaries of plants had
CAUSED them to present offsprings differing
very materially from either parent plant,
n Nho .cylI r,er, ,i.rf,f he
new species. Since then a third generation
of this series Of plants has been grown in
the garden, and the difference which
marked them as possible new species has
shown the permanence and the plants the
power of transmission to future generations,
which proves them to be new species of
plants. Prof De Vries is again visiting
America for conference with DR.. MacDou-
gal on these important matters and for
scientific research on kindred lines.
Desert Botanical Laboratory.
Within d week DR.. MacDougal will return
to the Desert Botanical laboratory at Tue
son, Ariz.. and shortly thereafter will Join
a committee which has in hand scien-
tiflc investigation of the results secured by
Mr. Luther Burbank in his methods of
breeding and cultivating plants at Santa
Rosa, Cal. 1t Is pretty generally known
that MIR. Burbank has secured many inn
portant plants of great economical value,
largely by methods of careful selection,
Such methods demand the Skillful cultiva-
ton of such plants as display valuable
traits and tendencies, and the ruthless de-
struGtion of-all which either fail to display
or to perpetuate such character, but no
scientific investigation has ever been made
OF the products of this most advanced mode
of horticulture.
The desert laboratory at Tucson. which
was established in 1903 and Is now DIR.
MacDougals principal headquarters. is one
of the most important projects of the Car
negie Institution. The problems which
have presented themselves under the ia
ciltties afforded by the laboratory have
become so numerous and important that 1t
has become necessary to erect addi-
tional building and to construct special
chambers and new departments for pur-
poses OF experiment. The laboratory has
a reserve of natural desert one and one
half square miles in extent which includes
a small mountain upon which the necessa-
ry buildings erected. This large area
Is now being fncloSed.
Considerable time is devoted by the labo-
ratory staff to the observation and study
of the behavior of desert plants under per-
fectly ne tural conditions. For purposes of
comparison mountain plantations have been
established at elevations of five thousand
feet and at ten thousand feet These plan
tations within few miles of the build
ings, but they have to be visited at fire.
quent intervals for purposes of OBSERVE
ton and record, and this and other like
work has necessitated the establishment
for Journeys to these and adjacent noun
tains.
Action of Plants Transferred
Interesting observations are being made
Of the action OF plants transferred from dry
to wet locations and the reverse and equal
ly extensive and interesting experiments
are being made of the effects produced by
transplanting specimens Of the fora OF the
lowlands to various levels of highlands and
mountains
In the final analysis all desert problems
are questions of water supply and among
the special forms of apparatus and equip
ment Of the laboratory are rain meters
which will be located at a multiplicity Of
distant places and eleva lions in the desert.
These meters of the automatic record
ing variety and will make their hourly
records of the rainfall of entire year
without further attention.
Among the unique conYenfences of the In
stitution is q system of heliograpting which
has been adopted and is In use by the stan
of the laboratory Since DIR. MacDougal
has been in New York he has received a
message from field party which was he
liographed twenty-five miles across the
arid plains from the camp of the explorers
to the laboratory on the lonely mountain
top about two miles from Tucson and
thence telegraphed to the New York Bo-
tanfcal Garden. This IS probably the first
time that the heliograph has been utilized
for purely scientific purposes.
In no place in the world Is it likely to
prove more useful than in these arid lands
for with all the unexplainable. charm which
mas made many a pioneer, explorer or
prospector or lifelong wanderer on these
lonely stretches of Sand. gravel and bare
mountain slopes, there Is constant menace
which must not be thought of Until the
peril is upon one. Mshap to man or beast. :
the loss of supplies, or, above ALL the
failure OF source of water supply and
on the instant the wanderer sees death but
few hours distant. The value OF
means of prompt communication with
friends in such emergency can scarcely
be overestimated.
G. GORDON CoPp,