Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-04-25
Dependence
Light.

Somewhere it was said that all
food of plant Or animal is trans
formed sunshine. The statement
may require elucidation. AS. is
well known, a beam of solar light
is. composed OF three KINDS of rays
the heating, the illuminating
and the chemical-each producing
its own peculiar effects upon veget-.J
alton. Their combined influence'l
upon the plant accounts In fact, for1
all the varied phenomena which. ri
exhibits.
Plants show no signs of life ex-
cept when under the heating rays of
the sunbeans, aud the amount of
tie heat impar fed pretty fanny r1eas- 4
ures the luxuriance OF the plants
growth The illuminating rays are
OF like importance with those. that
carry heat. In the dark, plant
growth is checked, the leaves are
deprived of green color, and the
bulbs and fruits are tastelcss and
watery. Plants. seek the.1ight, and
will climb out of the cellar win
,dows; while if confined in total
darkness, they speedily die. The
solar 1ight-beam causes the stoinata,
aor breathing pores, to operate; but
in darkness they close, and the
plant suffocates. The chemical rays
of the sunbeam however, are OF
less value to the plant. Under
their action, the green parts of
leaves have the power of decompos-
ing carbon dioxide, of retaining the
e arbo.,, and of exhaling the oxygen
/ 4 a nearly pure state. This pro-
C sss, as we shat, see, is one of plant
the breathing proper Of the plant
consists or taking in oxygen and OF
giving out CAT bon dioxiae--a pro-
cess that goes on at ali times but is
more noticeable at night, when the
former process assimilation is
suspended. Since, however, the
amount of oxygen produced by
plants is SO much greater than the
amount of carbon dioxid, the gem
-eral effect of plant action is to fit
the air for the support of animal
life,s by Kidding it of the poisonous
carbon dioxid and by supplying it
with the life giving oxygen.
Only during the termination of
seeds and the bursting of buds is
m ore oxygen absorbed than is CIV
en- off by the plant, and only then
is more carbonic acid evolved than
is taken in AMI destroyed. The con-
su nption of oxygen and the produce
tiol of carbon dioxid are greatly as
sisted by the absence of light, for
the illuminating rays prevent the
termination of seeds, and delay the
blrsting of buds, while the chem
icll rays hasten these processes.
On the other hand the heat rays
hasten the development of the re-
productive organs of plants. And
here we see nice adaptation; for
in the spring, when the process of
termination is going on, there is
large excess of the chemical rays.
AS summer advances and the
growth of additional vegetation is
required the quantity of illuminat-
ing and heating rays increases
relatively much faster than do the
chemical rays, and the decomposi-
ton of carbon dioxid for the buUd-
i lg o.. plant tissue goes. on at amin
-eased pace. But-in the autumh,
as plants approach maturity and
eds are to be formed and ffuit
rpened, the illuminating and chem
.isal rays Both diminish, while the
ing rays are further increases.
This extraordinary and curious in
stance of design in nature has
taught the horticulturist to cover
seeds with blue glass when he
wishes TO force their development.
for by cutting off the light and
heat and transmitting only the
chemical rays, he can hasten ger
miuation. Later, he uses yellow
glass to hasten growth by relative
increase of the luminous rays; and
still later by. using red glass he
hastens- seed and fruit formation by
admitting mainly the heat rays,
while reducing the other kinds. =
How delicate and dependent, af-
ter all, is that interesting organism
which we call the plant. 1t seems
ITO be so tough and so prolific OF
life that it covers the earth with
a carpet of vegetation. ia spite OF
neglect, ill usage, persecution, and
climatic assaults; but in reality it
is only natures makeshift, the
weeds, that do SO. The plants
which we prize as useful and prof