The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1921-02-04
14-YEAR TESTS
: OF PLANT LIFE
Reveal That Wild Flora Do Not
Always Grow in Most
CongeniaI Habitat.
ENVIRONMENT IS CHANGED
Flowers Taken From Mountain Tops
Grow Much More LuxuriantIy and
Produce More Leaves, Flowers
and Fruit at Sea Level.

Chicago-At a lecture given before
an assemblage Of geographers and
biologists representing several sOcie-
ties, DR.. D. L. MacDOugal, director of
the Botanical research department of
the Carnegie institution at Washing
ton, described the results of series
Of experiments extending over four
teen years and embracing 139 species
of plants, the experiments tending to
show that the wild plant is not al
ways found in the environment most
suited to it.
"a great many people think this"
said Dr. MacDougal, s'but it has been
found to be absolutely false"
With stations established at four
different attitudes, 5000 feet, $500
feet, $500 feet and at sea level, plants
have been transferred from one place
to another, and the results Of the Gull
tural experiments of fourteen years
have now been compiled.
Grow More LuxuriantIy.
In these experiments plants from the
mountain tops, some from height of
close to one and one-half miles above
sea level, were found to grow much
more luxuriantiy, producing more
leaves, flowers and fruits at sea level
than they had in their native habitat.
These plants were not cultivated, pro-
tected or fostered in any way in their
new situations Once placed, they
were to all intents and purposes wild
flowers and had to fight their own bat
ties and take chances as before.
One hundred and thirty-nine plants
were used in these experiments, en-
bracing forms of such wide divergence
as grasses, wild lilies and oak and wal
nut trees, as well as cacti and other
unusual plants.
"While a plant may thrive well in
it's new situation" said DR.. MacDOu-
gal, cit will sometimes display be-
haviOr quite at variance with that by
which it is ordinarily known. Thus
the common witchhazel, which is
known to bloom in the vicinity Of New
York when the frOsts come, when TAX
en- to the equitable climate Of the Pa
cific coast revertS to the normal or
summer-blO0ming habit. Other species
show flower forms, fruits and leaves
notably different from those previous
ly displayed by them.
aquatic plants Of the cress family
were made to grow in soil on the
mountain tops, where the roots formed
small radishes, like their relatives.
The radiSh is a cress. In other words.
these plants came back to the anceS-
trail habit of forming a radish.
Interest to Biologists.
"The manner In which plants travei
about the world or are distributed is
a problem of great interest to biOlo-
gistS. and i'm this experimental work
particular attention was given to OBJ
tanning evidence on some of the prob
plants across the face of the country"
1t was found that rabbits and rO-
dents which inhabit the oak zone at
the top of the mountain range acted
very effectively as a barrier to pre-
vent cacti and other plants from NOV
ing mp or down the mountain slopes.
To verify this barrage zone was es-
tablished and the plants protected in
screened enclosures which kept off the
little nibbling animals. The plants
thrived and prOspered and spread
within the enclosed section. Out in
the open, to either side Of the bar
rage zone, they rapidly disappeared,
being eaten by the rabbits. This ex-
planned the mysterious sudden stop
page of some of these plants-not altf-
tude nor heat nor cold, but actual de-
struction through being eaten. The
animals were like fence.
The coastal laboratory at Carmel
by-the-Sea' and the desert laboratory
at Tucson, Ariz., are two of the ex-
perimental stations which were used
in this work.