164 



THE HEAL) OF A DRAGON FLY. 



comes to the largest bend in the Florida 

 grasshopper's leg. The main color of the 

 Florida grasshopper is brown, but it has 

 black dots on its legs. Its wings are 

 pink and green with little black dots on 

 them, whereas onr little grasshopper has 

 brown and green legs." 



The two photographs on this page and the one on 

 the previous were taken by Edward F. Bigelow espec- 

 ially to illustrate this report and to stimulate other 

 Memljers in observations.. 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



Potatoes Grown in Darkness. 



A few years ago the editor of this mag- 

 azine published, in the "Technical 

 World," now the "Illustrated World," 

 an article entitled, "The Alagic of Potato 

 Growing." Practically the statements 

 there made have been made in lectures 

 before various audiences and were ridi- 

 culed by some, while others proved the 

 assertions by actually growing potatoes in 

 darkness without soil or chemical feeding 

 Here is one of the letters that tell of 

 success with the method. It is written 

 by \\'illiam Lofton, Alilltown, Indiana. 



'T did not believe your statement last 

 year, when you said in our institute, that 

 \ou could without sunlight, grow potatoes 

 which would contain starch. I had my 

 agricultiu'e class make the experiment, 

 but we had had no results when the school 

 closed. 



"This summer while attending a nor- 

 mal school I told my instructor in botany 

 what you had said and that I was making 

 the experiment but as yet had had no re- 

 sults. He hooted at me and said that I 

 would never get such results. 



"Last week I examined the experiment 

 and found one potato larger than the 

 original one. L'pon testing for starch, I 

 found it was present but that the potato 

 was more watery than the one with which 

 I compared it. I am writing to my in- 

 structor and telling him in detail what to 

 do to convince himself. Had the potato 

 not contained starch I would have written 

 to vou. Your advice. 'Be willing- to try,' 

 has left a lasting impression u]:)On me." 



PART OF THE WIN'G OF A :^IOXARCH I'.UTTERFLY VIEWED WITH A POCKET MICROSCOPE. 



