Sept. 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



117 



For the Western Pomologist. 



Germ Theory. 



On reading the article of Prof. A. Vcitch, 

 in the Pomoloyiet of August, (inst.,) on 

 page 106, I was forcibly struck with the 

 expression of his views, which agree sub- 

 stantially with my own. I have taken the 

 same test, but may assume a dittcrcnt stand, 

 which I beg leave to say, is only suggestive 

 to a better ellucidation upon the question not 

 yet decided. 



Prof. Owen sides with Pouchet and Child 

 against Pasteur, Cuvier and Haller, and like 

 Lamarck and Darvin, rejects the principle of 

 direct or miraculous creation, and recognizes 

 a " natural law, or secondary cause," as op- 

 erative in the production of species, in 

 orderly succession and progression. 



He does not believe the doctrine that all 

 the forms of life produced in decaying or- 

 ganic matter come from the germs dispersed 

 tho«gl) the air. He prefers believing that, 

 when the requisite materials and conditions 

 are present, other forces are resolved into 

 vital force ; and sees the " grandeur of crea- 

 tive power," not in the exceptional miracle 

 of one or few original forms of life, but in 

 the "dally and hourly calliug into life many 

 forms by conversion of chemical and physi- 

 cal into vital modes of force." 



He draws a comparison between life and 

 magnetism, and between all the actions of 

 living beings, from the attraction of the 

 amoeba by a bit of meat, to the highest phe- 

 nomenon of consciousness in man ; and con- 

 cludes that from the magnet which chooses 

 between steel aud zinc, to the philosopher 

 who chooses between good aud evil, the dif- 

 ference is of degree, not of kind, and that 

 there is no need to assume a special miracle 

 to account for mental phenomena. 



I consider it but fair to state the views of 

 Prof Owen, as presented ; uor is he singu- 

 lar, other savants have advocated similar 

 doctrines ; which as a believer in Revelation 

 and the spiritual nature of man, requires re- 

 strictions. For the physical life of man is 

 only the " caterpillar" state of the " ultimate 

 man," and a far higher element than that of 

 " magaetism " comes in play to account for 

 the " mental phenomiua " in a divine life or 

 principle that "chooses between good aud 

 evil." lu him who is governed and controlled 

 by a higher law and motive than simply the 

 phiosophic idea or self preservation from the 

 eflects of evil in this present life, without 

 reference to a future state, which to me, is 

 as clearly demonstrated as a veritable fact, 

 as is my consciousness that I exist. 



But my object is not to moralize nor to 

 criticize. What is stated above is only pre- 

 paratory to my subject, " Germ Theory," or 

 spontaneous generation. Having a superior 

 microscope, and works ou those minute 

 creations, I have read and examined, aud 

 found enough to stager the honest enquirer 

 into the mysteries of animalsculajand fungi. 



as to the source of their production, aud as far 

 as I am aware, amid the couflecting facts of re- 

 search and reading, have come to certain 

 conclusions which may be new and seem to 

 others, y et,also highly objectionable ; because, 

 I like Lamarch and Darwin cannot avoid 

 laying much stress upon the influence of sur- 

 rounding circumstances in modifying tJie habits 

 and structure of animal and vegetable beings. 

 "Whether we adopt the idea of "evolution" or 

 pre-existeuce of germs they are logically in- 

 seperable from the idea of the origin of species 

 by primary miraculously created individals- 

 In my article in same No., on page 103, 

 eases are cited so analogous to some that 

 came under my own observation, that I pre- 

 ferred giving those from a higher source of 

 authority than what I can lay claim to. In 

 accounting for these diversified facts, or 

 rather in the attempt to account for them, 

 we are forced to make certain concessions, 

 and deviate from the " straight " jacket, sys- 

 tem of confining the feet in wooden shoes 

 like the Chinese " fashionables," and devel- 

 ope " nuliius " instead of full sized God cre- 

 ated feet, to improve our "understanding." 

 I object to the doctrine of " infalibility. " 

 If the church declares that the belief that 

 the " world moves " is heresy, and imprisons 

 Galileo, I will first learn if possible what the 

 truth of the matter is — and go where truth 

 leads, always, however, with an humble de- 

 deference to that source from whence mind 

 and truth emenates, not presumptiously, but 

 cautiously and devoutly. 



I hold to the " Germ Theory " so far as 

 generic character is concerned, but when we 

 come down to species and varieties, then I 

 am forced to attribute the diversity to other 

 causes. Organic life in animals or vegeta- 

 bles is manifested and sustained by the prop- 

 erties of the elements of matter and their 

 mutual actionsand combinations ; the relative 

 proportions of the ultimate elements of the 

 proximate organic products absorbed or 

 given out modify the cell action and final 

 form or character of the substance. 



In a subject, then, so cxten.sive and com- 

 plicated, no special action can safelj- be 

 predicated. I shall therefore simply state the 

 broad or general idea, in reference more 

 particular to parasitic plants and animals of 

 the lower forms that are known by various 

 names, according as the nidus or foster plant 

 or creature to which it is specifically con- 

 fined, giving them character diflering from 

 those found elsewhere. 



We will suppose a minute germ or sporule 

 of a fungus, which difi'er from seeds proper 

 in not being generated by impregnation, 

 and having no definite and predetermined 

 points of growth, but springing forth into 

 young plants from any part of their surface. 

 These are known to float in the air. If the 

 residue of rain or snow-flakes, or the dust of 

 the trade winds, as well as from various 



other sources, be examined microscopictilly, 

 numerous animal and vegetable productions 

 may always be detected; and the lower 

 forms of either kingdom arc propogatcd with 

 such extreme rapidity that the swarming of 

 animals or vegetables in infusions seems 

 almost magical. 



Wo will suppose two or more trees differ- 

 ing generically — which inipUes that some 

 element, or combination of elements, difl'ers 

 in their character in the one from that of the 

 other, to produce this generic diil'erence, 

 otherwise they would be individuallv alike 

 and consequently no generic diflereuce 

 could exist. Then suppose again that the 

 same sporules, perhaps originating from a 

 diflferent foster-plant than either of the three 

 we have supposed lodgers on the three 

 several trees which we will consider sickly 

 or luxurious, in short, in a condition to 

 vivify or nourish the germ or sporule. 



Now when we consider the elemental dif- 

 ferences in the several trees, shrubs, or 

 herbs, and the pabulum or stimulous it 

 imparts to the growing plautlets, is it strange 

 that this difl'erence in its composition should 

 produce a specific ditterenee in its develop- 

 ment. We know this to be so in the forma- 

 tion of minerals and chemicals ; we know 

 that the change of food produces changes 

 in the higher organized insects and animals. 



Taking this view of the case the fungus 

 on the casks in the cellar, and those on the 

 drops of tallow dropped by miners, and 

 found no where else, need not to have been 

 floating about loose since the creation, until 

 tallow candles were invented, &c. We must, 

 however, admit that an internal impulse is 

 associated with external circumstances in the 

 development of the sporule, without neces- 

 sarily advocating spontaneous generation 

 without a germ. I find since penning the fore- 

 going that my idea is not original. I just 

 read that Buflibn supposed that certain type 

 forms were at first miraculously created, and 

 that most of the so-called species exemplified 

 degenerations from such originally perfect 

 types ; applying this view to the two hundred 

 Mammalian species, so well and eloquently 

 described in in his work, he reduced them 

 to about fifteen primitive stocks ; but admit- 

 ted also certain isolated created forms, which 

 represented both species and germs. 



Having already exceeded my limits I must 

 stop abruptly as it may seem with the old 

 theory of heterogenlsis after all, unimproved. 



Lancaster, Pa. T. St.\upfer. 



Insect Power.— The ravages of the min- 

 iature insects upon plants aud fruits clearly 

 demonstrate that there is no kind of creatures 

 in creation so insignificant as not to be able, 

 when sufficiently numerous, to become the 

 most formidable scourge of mankind. 



Concords per Acre. — B. L. Kinsbury 

 stated lately at the Alton Horticultural So- 

 ciety, tliat his vine3'ards of the Concord 

 yielded two tons per acre, and after deduct- 

 ing expenses the profits were four cents per 

 ponnd, or $160 p;r acre. 



