The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-04-17
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington, d. @.
A FAMOUS RADIsH.
Washington, d. @.


lington experimental farm of the de-
partment of agriculture which prom
ises and deserves to become famous.
lit was a most remarkable looking
radish. Instead of being little thing
the size of a marble with an insignifi-
cant tuft of leaves, like most radishes,
this one grew to be four inches in
diameter and had a crown of leaves
nearly yard wide. And at the time
it was uprooted in order to have its
picture taken, it was still growing and
gave every promise of becoming as big
as mans head. This radish never
went to seed" at all; instead it de-
voted all of its energies to growing,
with the above. remarkable result.
II such giant radish had been
mere unaccountable freak it would
have attracted wide attention But IL
was no freak. The two scientists who
raised it, w. W. Garner and r. A. AL
lard, know exactly why it grew so big
and failed to produce any seed. They
have discovered what amounts to a
new biological principle, and by work
ing on this principle they can control
the growth of plants in a most amaE-
ing way. They have substantially ex-
tended mans control over nature, for
/ in effect they are able to direct the
! energies of plants, turning them from
| their natural course.
Not only can they make a radish,
or any other root-crop such as turnip
or sugar beet, forego the natural
| process of reproduction and spend its
stead: but in the case of a plant where
| the seed is the desirable thing, such
as a bean-vine for example. they can
reverse the process and make the plant
produce beans in profusions and al
most no foliage at all
To get to the gist of the thing, these
scientists have discovered that the fac
tor which controls the reproductive
activity of plants is the length of the
day. In other words, each variety of
plant, in the course of evolution has
| become accustomed to performing the
work of pollination and of bearing its
fruit or seed at a time of the year
when the day is of a certain length,
and will not do the work when the
day is either shorter or longer.
You will Immediately reflect that
this is not remarkable. The plant
would naturally require a. certain
amount of light and heat to perform
these functions, and would choose the
time of year when the average of
days yielded them just that amount of
light and heat. This same reflection
was made by botanists long ago, and
for half a century they have been ex-
perimenting in the control of the
amount of light and heat given to
plants without getting any very def
and Garner have discovered is that
neither the amount of light nor the
amount of heat is the decisive factor
but simply the daily duration of light
to which the plant is exposed. For
example, a certain plant naturally
produces its seed in early fall when
the day is of a certain length. By use
Of electric lights the scientists Iengthen
the plants daily exposure to light at
this season by a couple of hours, and
the plant goes right on growing with
out producing seed. aItho the electric
light is not of the same quality as sun
light, nor does the electricity give the
same amount of heat as the sun. The
thing cen be expressed unscientifically
but effectively by saying that the plant
is fooled into the belief that it is still
summer, that the proper season for
going to seed has not arrived, and
therefore it does not go to seed
By using dark rooms. the scientists
reverse this process. They plant their
| experimental plants in boxes which
are set on wheels running on little
railroads, SO that the plants can be
rolled into the dark room and out
again whenever desired In midsum-
mer. by putting the plant to bed early,
it is exposed to the same duration of
light as it would normally experience
in early fall. And, 10 and behold. the
plant thinks it is early fall. and forth
with quits growing and produces seed.
1t is. of course highly unscientific
to say that the plant lis fooled" or
that it thinks We know that the
plant has no intelligence, no con-
seriousness, not even instinct in the
sense in which we ordinarily use these
terms. But we tend to forget that a
plant is. nevertheless, like a man. a
living organism in a highly variable
environment, to which it has varia BILE
responses. Without seeking to define
the nature or limitations of these re-
\ sponses, men have for a long time
sought to control the responses to
some extent by controlling the en-
vironment of plants. They have given
the plants certain food in the form of
fertilizers, and they have regulated
by irrigation the amount of water they
receive, and by the use of shelter and
artificial heat, they have regulated
temperature. Thus, in a slight and
elementary way, man has controlled
the plant thru its environment. much
as he has controlled animals. Garner
and Allard have taken another step in
!, the same direction. which makes all
the others seem trifling. They have
discovered that by means OF one factor
in the environment of the plant they
can control the most complicated and
important function of its life-its re-
productive activity.
This reproductive faculty, in one
: way or another, is bound up with the
usefulness Of every plant to man. IN
/, some, SOcn as cereals, ITull- trees
!. legumes.. it is the seed or its covering
which is valuable, and the object is
) to make the plant produce as much OF
this seed as possible. In others. such
as tobacco and hay crops. it is the
foliage that man values, and he wants
! to direct as much as possible of the
plants energy into the production OF
foliage. and away from the production
of seed.
) Garner and Allard have unquestion-
2 ably discovered the principle by which
I this reproductive faculty in plants car
be controlled, its energies literally
made to obey the behest of man and
defy that of nature.
r The Importance of this as a scien-
, tific discovery can scarcely be over
estimated, nor can it be doubted thai
/ If will have the most iu1Oortauf Drac-