New-York tribune., 1908-10-25
CONTENDS VEGETABLES REASON.

Many instances Of vegetable reasoning or some
thing else are given by R. H France in his Germs
OF Mind In Plants" The ro6tIets Of plants, whlch
Charles Darwin compared to a BRAIN have sense
of the of water. called hydrotopisrn and
they have n sense Of gravity. termed geotropisnl-
The tenjriIs OF a hop vine swing in wide circles
aroand a chosen branch Once they have touched
il they seize It In about twenty seconds. ana aC-
quire such q hold in hour that 1t takes force 20
tear them away. Then the tendrils curl uP Ike 4
oorkscrew and this shortening pulls up the vlne'
as a man chins himself at a bar In this fashloh
vines do their climbing walls and trellises-
Nyctitropsm is the scientific word for plant sleep
Ing. SIX hundred years ago Bishop Albert AasnuS
was accused being a wizard because he said
that plants slept the same as men Darwin
thought that the sleeping position protection
against cold frost but later students hold that
II is rather a protection against heavy dewfalls
The Alpine gentiaa closes its blue petals under
every passing cloud and opens them for every stray
CLINT Of sunshine
The sensitive plant is proverbial. If a branch Is
touched the feathery leaves rise, fold together and
the .teni sinks down. y real injury 70 the branch
sends shudder through the entire plant which
closes every leaf in sympathetic woe This lniIosa
is liveest its native Southern haunts anu seems
a little stupefed In Northern hOthouses- IheEe
are other sensitive plants and trees The common
locust shrnks in alright from stiff blow Nearly
all leaf stalks recognize a violent shock by bending
at the joint. 1t a natural thing that oolh
lively men and lively plants should be touhu IN
trouic temperatures The Indian telegraph plant
celebrated In the poems of Mahabharata and
Rhagayad-Ghita moves its leaves perpetuaHy IN
circle There are groups of two small leaves lhdI
swing around larger leaf at intervals OF minute
and a half This motion only occurs In warm
weather 1t is suggested thai the plant fans 1tseIl
to keep cool Plants like men, are ltveliest IN tneir
youth and the Indian marvel becomes sedate and
ouIescent with age. Darwin has recorded an oo-
,ervation that the fronds of the maidenhair fern
syrate like the telegraph plant on warm and sunny
days
The flowers of the bar5erry cunningly compel the
hess 10 perform a useful service Baited with tiny
cups of honey. the six stamens lie down against
the yellow petals and wait for bee TO release the
trap. when they spring up and shower him with
pollen The bee. acts as involuntary messenger
taking the pollen another flower Similar sensi-
tive stacns are found in theportulaca. the pric@iy
near cactus the chicOry. cornfower, thistle and
other plants.
If the employment OF insects for fertilization does
not seem conclusive evidence of intelligence, there
ts tho case of a Central American acacia which
houses standing army OF black ants in ho!ss
bored in the eh6rns and feeds them with sausage
like growths at the ends of its leaves, wnlcn Vcse-
table sausages might he compared TO the travelling
ration of the German army The function Of the
ant arrny is to defend the trees against bands OF
leaf cutting ants which destroy all other Feseta-
ton and 1t IS said the acacias soldiers hshtin It's
behalf with valiant success
There Is also d species of fern which goes into 4
mysterious partnership with ants whom it provides
NTH little dwellings down the sides OF its roots