Evening star., 1923-11-01

"Tnstinct" There is no such
thing, and the imam who uses the
word ought to be put in Jail. He
shows that he does not know what
he Is talking about" exclaimed DR..
w. w. Garner, In charge Of plant
physiology of the Department of Ag-
riculture.
why do birds migrate from the
Arctic region clear to the Antarctic?'
he added. why do they leave the
north while berries and seeds. are
still abundant and the temperature
Is still warm and balmy? 1t Is not
the present temperature which puts
them a-wing 1t Is because they find
that the hours Of the days sunlight
are shortening. and they know that
I,as the days shorten they are ap-
preaching the season when there will
he no more the conditions under
which they thrive. Ages have taught
them that those birds which avoid
the shorter days survive and the
Others do not. In a single day. some
I fly from Canada to far below the
equator. They do not stop in Flor
ida. although it is warm there. but
continue their flight to south Of the
equator where the days are growing
longer. The little penguin flies an
nually from the north pole to the
south pole. for at each pole, in it's
respective summertime, the bird finds
the longest hours of sunlight (This
lis not the great penguin. which can
not fiy.) No migrating bird stops
short of the equator. simply lured by
tropics The birds seek the region
where the hours of sunlight suit
them best"
!, The scientist explained the expert
ments which he and DIR. II. A. Allard
OF the same bureau had carried on, by
subtraCting from or adding to the
light hours of plants by means of
dark houses and by electric light. In
line with the revelations of Drs. Gar
ner and Allard, as announced three
years ago, certain experiments re-
ported within the last fortnight have
been astonishing the students of hor-
ticulture at Columbia College. Ref
erenCe to the 1920 annual reports OF
the Smithsonian Institution and Of
the Department of Agriculture shows
that Drs. Garner and Allard therein
described the processes which blazed
the way to this new line Of investiga-
tion of the hidden laws of nature,
never before demonstrated.
+ x x II
Each fiower-each plant of whatso-
ever species - has it's normal total
hours of sunlight between germina-
tion of the seed and the blossoming
Of it's flower or the ripening of its
fruit. II we can add to the length Of
the days natural hours OF sunshine
by lighting the plant with electricity
for several hours each night, the light
hours accumulate, and thus hasten
the lapse between termination and
fruiting.
There is q proper length OF sun
light to make plant grow; there is
another length of sunlight per day.
which causes il to bloom and not
grow Take the violet, which puts
out blue blossom In early June,
then. later, grows leaves abundantly
and still later develops another kind
OF blossom under the leaves. 1t may
be made to give its blue blossoms in
early May or II may be kept growing g
leaves all summer. without its second
blooms-all by adjusting the length
CT sunlight TO simulate the normal
hours Of tho rnon:',s v-"Hr he plant
normally does certain things.
II has been nOLeu lhat su...5 plants
iris, for example-which normally
bloom in June will not be induced
TO bloom in March simply by being
kept in a greenhouse in a June tenn
perature. But If each day during
the winter a strong electric light ex-
tends the hours of light, so that the
normally lapsing hours between ger
mination and blossomins accumulate
in fewer days than normal, the plant
will put forth its buds in March.
:: X :: *
Plants which normally flower in
late fall will not blossom in midsum-
mer. even if cool days arrive. because
they require short hours of light, such
as come in October and not in July
or August BY putting them in a