The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-05-04
PLANT LIFE IS
RULED BY LIGHT
y. S. Experts, After Experiments,
Advance Principle That Is
Revolutionary.
TEMPERATURE IS NEGLIGIBLE
ple*erIng and Fruitins Period q prac'
IDEALLY Any Plant Can 30 Controlled
by Lensthening Day by Arti.
fIciaI LiQht.

"300luStOns -. C.-0OVSrumeuI u
S1eultural experts have discovered that
plant life seems to depend on light
rather than temperature, for pourish
msnt and may be controlled by regu
hating the hours Of light and darkness
The principle Is revolutionary but
II rests on actual experiments. in which
n was demonstrated that plants sub
5ected to alternate periods Of light and
darkness in carefully determined pro-
portions could be brought to maturity
ne any time Of the year.
"Greenhouse experiments" says an
announcement by the department Of
agriculture, prove that the Towering
and fruiting period Of practically any
plant can be made to take place at any
time Of year by darkening the green
house in the morning and evening, II
the day is too long, or by frightening
the day by artificial light If the day u
too short.
Flowers That Bloom in Spring.
"Spring flowers and spring crops
happen to be spring flowers and spring
crops because the days at the season
sf their Towering and fruiting have
he proper number Of hours Of day.
light"
The discovery may be Of the highest
importance in the future planning Of
cropping systems for different regions.
Eventually It may be found, accord.
ing to w. w. Garner and n. A. Allard
scientists in the bureau Of plant indus
ty, who conducted exhaustive expert
nents, that the animal organism also
- capable Of responding to the stimu-
lus of certain day lengths. They be-
neve that the migration Of birds may
, be IN illustration, on the ground that
direct response to such a stimulus
would be more in line with modern
biological teachings than theories
which assume that birds go south"
% 4 matter Of instinct. -.
Experiments were conducted with a
large variety Of plants. It was shown
eenclusively that too little sleep" or,
n: other words too many hours Of day.
Right would prevent many plants from
ia>sn reaching the Towering and fruit
ne stage. ~ .-... %.
! Il wa found also that plants would
not reproduce except when exposed to
q favorable length Of day. although too
much daylight tor Towering and fruit
Ing might stimulate profuse vesetattve
growth. A length Of day favorable
both no reproduction and growth 70
suits In the Overwhelming" type Of
huits.
BY employing dark chambers the sci
entists shortened or heightened the
NE cycle Of plants and forced some Of
mem to complete two cycles In one sea
con. Violets. which naturally bloom
only during the comparatively short
days OF spring, when covered with
Nghtproof boxes for time were made
TO bloom again during the summer.
Biloxi soy beans exposed to the light
for only five hours day lowered near
" three mouths earlier than plants left
n the light all day, but attained only
about one-eighth Of the height.
Temperatures Effect Slight.
Temperature appeared to exert no
influence in the tests. A striking IL
lustration of the relative unimportance
Of tempera ture was given in the fort
that plants kept in the dark for a part
Of the day underwent in midsummer
the changes that in nature come in the
fall and that, heretofore, have been at
tributed to lower temperatures. This
was true even when the dark houses
registered a higher temperature than
the outside atmosphere.
1.-The length of the day." the depart
ment's announcement said, is proved
to be the most potent factor in deter
mining the relative proportions be-
tween the vegetative and fruiting parts
Of many crop plants. Indeed, fruiting
may be completely suppressed by
day too long or too short. This new
principle undoubtedly explains the er.
ratio behavior which has been observed
With many crops when they are shifted
- different ATTITUDES"
SaSnSlAN,c cTnNAcA lliNK Pll E