Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-01
WONDERS OF VEGETATION.
Great Lifting Powers Of Plants-Re'
markable Growths.
From London Tit-Bits.

From London Tit-Bits.
The fertility of some members Of the
vegetable world Is really astounding Thus.
an ounce Of onion seed which was sown In
a garden at Newton Abbot produced no
less than 400 pounds of onions. This will
give some idea as to the prolific nature Of
vegetables, but it is by no means an iso-
lated example.
For instance, at Musbury, village neaE
Administer, an agriculturist planted an or
binary winter cattle bean. The average
individual If asked how many beans made
five would make different answer from
His single bean produced no fewer than
eco beans.
Very extraordinary is the force exerted
by growing vegetation A curious exam I'm.
gardens at Kelsey Park, Bohemian
Signs Of cracking were observed in the
brickwork of a frame and gradually q
block was pushed out of position. This
weighed in the aggregate over ~ hun.
dredweight. Several bricks had to be cut
out by the workmen, and then they found
mass of mushrooms. only pounds
ounces in weight, growing in the center OF
the WALL
Melons are extremely strong; in fact, one
has been known to raise weight amount
ing to two and half tons. A well-known
student of nature tried to estimate the
days old and measured q inches in circum-
ference. He fixed a sort Of harness around
it, with long arm or lever attached, and
SO was able to measure the force of the
melon by the weight it lifted at the end of
the lever. When about twenty days old
that is. a couple of days after the harness
had been fixed OMIT exerted strength of
sixty pounds, while seventeen days after
ward it actually lifted 5000 pounds weight.
The seed of the globe turnip measures
only about the twentieth part of an inch In
diameter, yet in the course Of a month or
two it will enlarge into 27,000,O00 times its
of leaves.
In fact. by careful experiment it has been
found that turnip seed, under favorable
conditions, will increase it's own weight
fifteen times in a minute. Turnips grow
ing in peat ground have been found to in
crease more than 1900 times the weight
of their seed in a single day. By excep-
tional means. such as by drugging, even
this may be exceeded.
In this connection 1t may be added that
by drugging plants and other vegetables
their rate of growth can be increased to
an astonishing extent. When placed in
alright dens and fed on ether for twenty
four or twenty-six hours until they be-
come permeated with the fumes, they ma
ture in about half the time it takes them
to develop naturally 1t is confidently ex-
pected that this method of drugging will
work a revolution in the methods of fore
ing flowers and garden vegetables.
The cleverness of plants Is extremely re-
markable, and some of them employ the
most ingenious stratagems whenever dan
ger threatens them. There is, for exam
pie, a species of mimosa in South Africa
which feigns death in times of danger.
This is evidently for the purpose of pre-
venting grass eating animals from pluck
ing it. While in a natural state the plant
Is of vivid hue, yet directly 1t Is touched
by any living animal 1t collapses into a
tangle Of apparently dead and withered
stems Among British wild plants by far
the most sensitive is that Of the insect
ivorous sundew, which is found on Doggy
land.
Notwithstanding their vitality. members
of the vegetable. world will not flourish in
smoky towns. Even the hardy trees have
no love for those products of modern CIV
ilization. 1t is well to know that horticul-
turists are almost unanimous in giving
their vote to the plane as the best tree for
planting in smoky towns. Where the
smoke is not too dense, 1t is found that
lines. sycamores, popiars elms. horse
chestnuts and Turkey oaks do well, but
that practically exhausts the list. Among
the shrubs which will grow are hoIlies,
laurels japonicas, mountain ashes and al
most any hardy evergreens.