Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose, His Life and SpeechesBose, Jagadis Chandra
Science
Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose, His Life and Speeches
Bose, Jagadis Chandra
Science
Proceeding Dr. Bose said that plants were far more conscious of nature
than human beings and described his experience how plants were sensitive
even to passing clouds, which produced on them a depressing effect. He
spoke of the difference between thin and wiry grown plants and those
that were stout and robust. In that respect they resembled again human
beings and thin and wiry grown plants were far more susceptible of
excitement than the others. They, too, needed rest and without it, they
were flabby and depressed. A cartoon from the London "Punch" entitled "A
successful Trial" was screened to the merriment of the audience, in
which the Professor was humorously depicted by that journal, after his
exposition before the Royal Institute in London. He gave an illustration
of the "Praying Palm of Faridpur" and the changes it exhibited to
environment. All plants displayed similar power and these changes were
no longer inscrutable. They had been brought within the realm of
scrutability [_sic._] and could be recorded.
"PROTECTING" PLANTS
It was a mistake to suppose that when "protected" plants would thrive
better. Mothers had a tendency to keep their children away from contact
with the outside world with a view to "protect" them. He had placed a
plant under a glass case and the effect of it was he had a gloated and
effete specimen, flabby-looking in appearance and weary under adversity,
they recovered sooner and their growth was healthy just as it evolved
true manhood in men. It had been commonly believed that carbonic acid
gas was conducive to plant growth. That was a great mistake. In
sunshine, plants readily absorbed it; but it was no more true that
plants thrived on CO_2, than did human beings. He illustrated the effect
of carbonic acid gas as well as oxygen. The latter was as much necessary
for plants to thrive on as it was for them. Another illustration
exhibited the effect of alcohol on plants and he declared amidst
laughter that alcohol produced the same alternate maudlin depression and
exaltation on plants that is to be observed on the human system. He said
that this experiment had tickled the Americans a great deal and referred
to a conversation he had with Mr. Bryan, who was a teetotaller,
regarding alcohol given to plants. Some American papers had given
characteristic headlines to introduce his lecture on the effect of
stimulus to plants.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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