This unequal rate of movement, interrupted by pauses, and at first with occasional retrogressions, accords well with our conclusion that heliotropism consists of modified circumnutation.
In order to observe how long the after-effects of light lasted, a pot with seedlings of Phalaris, which had germinated in darkness, was placed at 10.40 A.M. before a north-east window, being protected on all other sides from the light; and the movement of a cotyledon was traced on a horizontal glass. It circumnutated about the same space for the first 24 m., and during the next 1 h. 33 m. moved rapidly towards the light. The light was now (i.e. after 1 h. 57 m.) completely excluded, but the cotyledon continued bending in the same direction as before, certainly for more than 15 m., probably for about 27 m. The doubt arose from the necessity of not looking at the seedlings often, and thus exposing them, though momentarily, to the light. This same seedling was now kept in the dark, until 2.18 P.M., by which time it had reacquired through apogeotropism its original upright position, when it was again exposed to the light from a clouded sky. By 3 P.M. it had moved a very short distance towards the light, but during the next 45 m. travelled quickly towards it. After this exposure of 1 h. 27 m. to a rather dull sky, the light was again completely excluded, but the cotyledon continued to bend in the same direction as before for 14 m. within a very small limit of error. It was then placed in the dark, and it now moved backwards, so that after 1 h. 7 m. it stood close to where it had started from at 2.18 P.M. These observations show that the cotyledons of Phalaris, after being exposed to a lateral [page 464] light, continue to bend in the same direction for between a quarter and half an hour.
In the two experiments just given, the cotyledons moved backwards or from the window shortly after being subjected to darkness; and whilst tracing the circumnutation of various kinds of seedlings exposed to a lateral light, we repeatedly observed that late in the evening, as the light waned, they moved from it. This fact is shown in some of the diagrams given in the last chapter. We wished therefore to learn whether this was wholly due to apogeotropism, or whether an organ after bending towards the light tended from any other cause to bend from it, as soon as the light failed. Accordingly, two pots of seedling Phalaris and one pot of seedling Brassica were exposed for 8 h. before a paraffin lamp, by which time the cotyledons of the former and the hypocotyls of the latter were bent rectangularly towards the light. The pots were now quickly laid horizontally, so that the upper parts of the cotyledons and of the hypocotyls of 9 seedlings projected vertically upwards, as proved by a plumb-line. In this position they could not be acted on by apogeotropism, and if they possessed any tendency to straighten themselves or to bend in opposition to their former heliotropic curvature, this would be exhibited, for it would be opposed at first very slightly by apogeotropism. They were kept in the dark for 4 h., during which time they were twice looked at; but no uniform bending in opposition to their former heliotropic curvature could be detected. We have said uniform bending, because they circumnutated in their new position, and after 2 h. were inclined in different directions (between 4o and 11o) from the perpendicular. Their directions were also changed after two additional hours, and again on the following morning. We may [page 465] therefore conclude that the bending back of plants from a light, when this becomes obscure or is extinguished, is wholly due to apogeotropism.*
In our various experiments we were often struck with the accuracy with which seedlings pointed to a light although of small size. To test this, many seedlings of Phalaris, which had germinated in darkness in a very narrow box several feet in length, were placed in a darkened room near to and in front of a lamp having a small cylindrical wick.