The cotyledons at the two ends and in the central part of the box, would therefore have to bend in widely different directions in order to point to the light. After they had become rectangularly bent, a long white thread was stretched by two persons, close over and parallel, first to one and then to another cotyledon; and the thread was found in almost every case actually to intersect the small circular wick of the now extinguished lamp. The deviation from accuracy never exceeded, as far as we could judge, a degree or two. This extreme accuracy seems at first surprising, but is not really so, for an upright cylindrical stem, whatever its position may be with respect to the light, would have exactly half its circumference illuminated and half in shadow; and as the difference in illumination of the two sides is the exciting cause of heliotropism, a cylinder would naturally bend with much accuracy towards the light. The cotyledons, however, of Phalaris are not cylindrical, but oval in section; and the longer axis was to the shorter axis (in the one which was measured) as 100 to 70. Nevertheless, no difference could be
* It appears from a reference in Wiesner ('Die Undulirende Nutation der Internodien,' p. 7), that H. Müller of Thurgau found that a stem which is bending heliotropically is at the same time striving, through apogeotropism, to raise itself into a vertical position. [page 466]
detected in the accuracy of their bending, whether they stood with their broad or narrow sides facing the light, or in any intermediate position; and so it was with the cotyledons of Avena sativa, which are likewise oval in section. Now, a little reflection will show that in whatever position the cotyledons may stand, there will be a line of greatest illumination, exactly fronting the light, and on each side of this line an equal amount of light will be received; but if the oval stands obliquely with respect to the light, this will be diffused over a wider surface on one side of the central line than on the other. We may therefore infer that the same amount of light, whether diffused over a wider surface or concentrated on a smaller surface, produces exactly the same effect; for the cotyledons in the long narrow box stood in all sorts of positions with reference to the light, yet all pointed truly towards it.
That the bending of the cotyledons to the light depends on the illumination of one whole side or on the obscuration of the whole opposite side, and not on a narrow longitudinal zone in the line of the light being affected, was shown by the effects of painting longitudinally with Indian ink one side of five cotyledons of Phalaris. These were then placed on a table near to a south-west window, and the painted half was directed either to the right or left. The result was that instead of bending in a direct line towards the window, they were deflected from the window and towards the unpainted side, by the following angles, 35o, 83o, 31o, 43o, and 39o. It should be remarked that it was hardly possible to paint one-half accurately, or to place all the seedlings which are oval in section in quite the same position relatively to the light; and this will account for the differences in the angles. Five coty- [page 467] ledons of Avena were also painted in the same manner, but with greater care; and they were laterally deflected from the line of the window, towards the unpainted side, by the following angles, 44o, 44o, 55o, 51o, and 57o. This deflection of the cotyledons from the window is intelligible, for the whole unpainted side must have received some light, whereas the opposite and painted side received none; but a narrow zone on the unpainted side directly in front of the window will have received most light, and all the hinder parts (half an oval in section) less and less light in varying degrees; and we may conclude that the angle of deflection is the resultant of the action of the light over the whole of the unpainted side.
It should have been premised that painting with Indian ink does not injure plants, at least within several hours; and it could injure them only by stopping respiration.