May, 1904.] 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



83 



Animated Photographs 

 of PloLrvts. 



Hy Mrs. Dlkini-ikld H. Scott. 



The kinematograph has now been in use for many 

 years for successfully reproducing rapid movements of 

 living objects, such as the boat-race, an express train 

 in motion, or the Coronation procession. "Its use for 

 showing, at an accelerated speed, sloh' movements which 



the screen and tin- spectators can liavc tlic pleasure 

 of seeing the earth rriisixl up by the swelling seed, the 

 seed-coat thrown ofi", the seed-heaves emerge, straighten 

 themselves out, and then the lirsl leaves burst forth. 



If the plant is a climbing one such as tlie I'rench l>ean, 

 another plate will show the point of the stem swaying 

 round in large circles till it comes into contact with its 

 support, and twines round and round the stick provided 

 for it. Professor Pfeffcr, of Leipzig, in 1900, devised a 

 \-ery perfect apparatus of this sort for class demonstra- 

 tion, the photographs being taken by electric light with 

 a film kineniatotjraph. I'.ul the expense of this appa- 



Sparmannia a.fricana. 



•MiKiS 



I IK. 14. 



t"'S- IS- 



1 1 shows the general appearance of 

 the inflorescence, taken at 5 a.m. 

 riowers just opening lr()ni the ritjht 

 po.sition. 

 Kig. 12. Photograph 10 shows bud on the left 

 swelling. 



f-ijf. i.i. 



-Photograph Ho. The bud is half open, 

 and the bud on the right is in the 

 vertical position, read> for opening. 



Hig. 14. Photograph 150. ISoth flowers open. 



Fig. 15.— Phot ,>graph 220. Still further open. 



cannot be watched by the eye, and which last over a 

 considerable period of time has, no doubt, often been 

 thought of, but has not been put to much practical test. 

 In fact I know that some years ago, two eminent pro- 

 fessors of science visited one of the popular places of 

 entertainment to watch a boxing match on the screen, 

 with a view to obtaining hints for the use of the kine- 

 matograph for scientific purposes. I did not hear that 

 the experiment went any further. 



In the plant world there are many fascinating sub- 

 jects possible. If photographs of a germinating seed are 

 taken by the kinematograph at regular intervals during 

 many days until the seed has germinated and sent up 

 its seed leaves, the photographs can be thrown on 



ratus is too great for the use of amateurs, as, exclusive 

 of the initial expenditure, each new film costs go marks = 

 £^ los. I hope to explain in the following pages the 

 method of working a smaller and less expensive appa- 

 ratus, which is within the reach of the ordinary amateur 

 photographer. 



The first plant selected for experiment was Sparniannia 

 africana,''- a native of South Africa well known in our 

 greenhouses. A photograph is given of the inflorescence 

 of this plant (fig. ii), which gives some idea of its general 

 appearance. It is a plant which belongs to the same 

 order as the Lime Tree, and has many attractive features ; 



Annals of Botany, Vr>!. XVII.. No. LXVIII. Sept , 1903. 



Figy 



SparmaLnniac a-frica-na.. 



-10. Shows stages selected from the Kammatograph photographs in the opening of a bud. 



p.g. I. Watch the bud. 



Fg. 



I ig .1. 



fig. 4. 



Fig. .■;. 



Fig. 0. 



Fig. 



Fig. X. 



Fig. 9. 



Fig. 10. 



