40 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



united base to base), but other crystals may be formed. There is no 

 deviation in the process, and what will happen is well known before- 

 hand. 



The site of the cause of the movement of the molecules is external 

 in the case of the alum, but is within a living organism ; though the 

 inciting cause may also be from without, as a lowering of light and 

 temperature in the evening brings about the sleeping of leaves by a 

 response from within. 



Professor Schaffer, therefore, would seem to be inaccurate in 

 saying " inorganic crystals grow, multiply and reproduce their like, 

 given a supply of the requisite pabulum." Growth goes on from 

 within an organism, through food taken into the interior of the body. 

 A crystal increases in size — but there is no growth in the proper sense 

 of the word — solely by accretions on the external surface ; i.e. by 

 additions from a solution of the same substance. 



Organic growth is only possible by a division of the cells of the 

 growing organ ; and, as all biologists are aware, this is secured by a 

 most intricate process executed by the nucleus of the cell. There is 

 nothing like it in the inorganic world. " Growth " in the sense of 

 increase of size in mineral particles by accretions from without is an 

 altogether inadequate term when applied to organic beings. 



" Pabulum," to use Professor Schaffer's term, may vary very 

 much, and out of it life selects what is wanted and rejects the 

 remainder as indigestible. Even the insectivorous sundew will 

 consume all the nitrogenous substances and refuse the hard chitinous 

 surface of a fly. Moreover, the food must pass through various 

 chemical changes under the directivity of life before it is capable of 

 bringing about any growth of the organism. 



Again he says crystals " multiply." This term is also inaccurate. 

 If a crystal weighing an ounce, say of alum, is dissolved in water, when 

 the water has evaporated a cluster of separate crystals may result ; 

 but the whole of them will weigh exactly one ounce. There is ab- 

 solutely nothing comparable to the million eggs from one oyster. The 

 addition of more alum as "pabulum," only makes more crystals till 

 the alum has all been crystallized out of the solution. It cannot 

 " nourish " ; whereas any multiplication of living organisms requires 

 nourishment for growth and development : without it a bulb 

 cannot produce bulbils, nor flowers any seed. There is really no 

 comparison between the two. 



Now let us consider the nature of protoplasm, which consists of the 

 lifeless elements — carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus,- 

 sulphur and some mineral salts. It is the only compound known 

 which is the vehicle of life, but is lifeless in itself. 



A mineral called mascagnite has four out of the above five elements, 

 and is composed as follows, N 2 H 10 O 5 S ; but the composition of 

 albumen (perhaps the nearest ally of protoplasm) is C 60 H 100 N 16 O 20 . 



Dr. Campbell tells us that an analysis of the Plasmodium of a slime- 

 mould (aethalium) showed eight " ferments " as well as ammonium 



