A minute drop, about equal to 1/20 of a minim, of a solution of one
part of the phosphate to 875 of water, was applied to the secretion on
three glands, each of which thus received only 1/57600 of a grain
(.00112 mg.), and all three tentacles became inflected. Similar drops
of a solution of one part to 1312 of water (1 gr. to 3 oz.) were now
tried on three leaves; a drop being applied to four glands on the same
leaf. On the first leaf, three of the tentacles became slightly
inflected in 6 m., and re-expanded after 8 hrs. 45 m. On the second,
two tentacles became sub-inflected in 12 m. And on the third all four
tentacles were decidedly inflected in 12 m.; they remained so for 8
hrs. 30 m., but by the next morning were fully re-expanded. [page 156]
In this latter case each gland could have received only the 1/115200
(or .000563 mg.) of a grain. Lastly, similar drops of a solution of one
part to 1750 of water (1 gr. to 4 oz.) were tried on five leaves; a
drop being applied to four glands on the same leaf. The tentacles on
three of these leaves were not in the least affected; on the fourth
leaf, two became inflected; whilst on the fifth, which happened to be a
very sensitive one, all four tentacles were plainly inflected in 6 hrs.
15m.; but only one remained inflected after 24 hrs. I should, however,
state that in this case an unusually large drop adhered to the head of
the pin. Each of these glands could have received very little more than
1/153600 of a grain (or .000423); but this small quantity sufficed to
cause inflection. We must bear in mind that these drops were applied to
the viscid secretion for only from 10 to 15 seconds, and we have good
reason to believe that all the phosphate in the solution would not be
diffused and absorbed in this time. We have seen under the same
circumstances that the absorption by a gland of 1/19200 of a grain of
the carbonate, and of 1/57600 of a grain of the nitrate, did not cause
the tentacle bearing the gland in question to be inflected; so that
here again the phosphate is much more powerful than the other two
salts.
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