58 PLANT GROWTH SUBSTANCES 



evolution and life processes. The question has each time been conceived 

 as a jest and yet it touches at the very heart of our understanding, or 

 rather lack of understanding, of the processes of sex and reproduction. 

 If when we gather here again to celebrate the 1 50th anniversary of the 

 natal day of the University of Wisconsin, we have a complete answer 

 to this question we can feel that the intervening 50 years of research 

 have been well spent. The challenging question which has been asked 

 of me and which I am passing on to this symposium is— why can't 

 you cross corn and beans and get succotash? I confess I don't know the 

 answer. Does anyone in the audience.? 



We will return more specifically to the subject of crossability later on. 

 It might be pointed out now that the question mentioned implies the 

 desirability of translating knowledge through action toward a directed 

 goal. For a long time the various aspects of biology tended to be studied 

 as separate entities. The structure and behavior of chromosomes for 

 example were of interest to cytologists without relation to the trans- 

 mission of hereditary traits, and some leading geneticists seemed to 

 resent the use of chromosomes in interpreting genetic behavior. This 

 stage is passing and cytology and genetics have profitably joined, with 

 evident hybrid vigor, to form cytogenetics. Structures and processes 

 are being studied in order to interrelate and understand what the 

 organism is and does. A still newer phase of research is under develop- 

 ment — the utiUzation of this understanding of all the aspects of the 

 plant in consciously controlling its Hfe processes and directing its evolu- 

 tion. It is about this phase of research, which we may call that of the 

 genetics engineer, that I wish to speak a bit. I shall use largely the genus 

 Datura for examples to show how new knowledge can be put to work in 

 interpreting biological behavior and in molding form and function. 

 This is because I am personally more familiar with this plant than 

 with most other plants, but especially because I am familiar with the 

 important research of associates who have worked with Datura. Though 

 I have had something to do with raising certain of the problems it is 

 to these others that we are generally indebted for their solution. In 

 acting as spokesman for the Datura workers, therefore, I feel as if I 

 were shining by reflected light. 



Because of its ease of handling Datura has been much used by the 

 early hybridizers. With it Naudin discovered segregation in the F2 

 generation before Mendel's classical paper on inheritance in garden peas. 



