412 General Notes. 
curve into their abutments are less likely to crack than such a 
join them at an angle. The majority (213) of the shocks came 
in the winter. qa 
BOTANY! Aap 
eT ues Pn 
THE Movements oF Roots oF INDIAN Corn IN GERMINE 
fION.*—In the recent work of the late Charles Darwin on the 
movements of plants, he says that roots, stems and leaves bendto 
all points of the compass successively with a sort of rolling mo ; 
geotropism guides it perpendicularly downwards. me 
I have carefully studied the movements of some 400 or moe 
kernels of sprouting Indian corn of seven or more varieties,and, 0 
far as they are concerned, Darwin’s statement is much too P 
in regard to geotropism guiding the radicles perpendiculay : 
downwards. If allowed to germinate on a flat, smooth plate, S0 ‘a 
of the roots will risé and fall as they move along a 
making a series of curves, others continue to run flat on th ae 
face, others bend the tip of the root against the plate and ¢ i 
with so much force that the kernel is tipped over. tap that 
thick, wet paper, the root is often slightly obstructed so mat 
makes a coil and proceeds forward again. Pe entsby 
One of my students repeated some of Darwin's expa a 
pinning kernels of gerininating corn on a cork, over water ne w 
set in a dark place. Pieces of gum-paper were placed on trifle dè 
of the tips of the roots. In some cases the root was 4H. 
flexed from the paper, in others it was not in the least ne 
its course. In some cases single coils were made; ne 
a figure 8 was made anda single coil after that, by whic a 
paper was shoved off, when the root went straight on to the 
It was not sensitive to another paper on the tip. An 
almost tied itself into a knot. Young roots were the i 
sitive. small 
i 
s 
i 
I pinned over 300 kernels of germinating corn pe 
which were placed over water in a deep pan, and all close} 
In all of the sorts, one or more coils were very 
root went off without support in a horizontal-di 
"Edited by Pror. C, E. Bessey, Ames, Iowa. | me 
? Notes from papers presented at the Cincinnati and the Montre® 
the American Association for the Advancement of Science. e 
rection for Ë 
