Monrovia

“ The Monera are the lowest living organisms known; they consist of a mass of protoplasm, and are still devoid of even a nucleus. They multiply simply by division; each half is like the other, and like the parent (which by this process has ceased to exist) , except that each is smaller and has to grow. A certain Moneron, Protomyxa aurantiaca, is orange-coloured, and its offspring is from the beginning of the same colour, and this colour has been acquired by that kind of Monera-like protoplasm which thereby has become the species called Aurantiaca. ”

“ They may be said to be "organic" creatures without organs—being but little more than simple cells—tiny globules of plasm, surrounded by a thin membrane—their sole vital function being the absorption of nourishment through the pores of their covering (just as a piece of chalk would absorb water) and the consequent conversion of the nourishment into material for growth, the whole process resembling chemical action. The Monera reproduce their kind simply by cleavage or separation of the substance of the mother cell into two, and so on, being little more than the "growth" of crystals. ”

“ And the difficulty is, that, whereas individuals of the very same blood tend to be sterile, and somewhat remoter unions diminish this tendency, and when they have diverged into two varieties the cross-breeds between the two are more fertile than either pure stock—yet when they have diverged only one degree more the whole tendency is reversed, and the mongrel is sterile, either absolutely or relatively. He who explains the genesis of species through purely natural agencies should assign a natural cause for this remarkable result ”

“ The Monarda fistulosa, a hardy herbaceous plant, growing spontaneously in Canada, and other parts of North-America, has long been cultivated in the English gardens, to which it recommends itself as much by the fragrance of its foliage, as the beauty of its flowers; of this species the plant here figured is an uncommonly beautiful variety, its blossoms far surpassing those of the original in size, as well as brilliancy of colour, the floral leaves also are highly coloured ”

“ Biological peculiarities explained.— The little we now know of the life-history of the guinea-worm explains many things that were formerly mysterious. We now understand why the parasite, on attaining maturity, makes for the legs and feet; these are the parts of the human body most likely, in tropical countries, to come in contact with puddles of water, the medium in which cyclops— the intermediary host —lives. We can understand, also, why it is that the contact of water with the skin of the host causes the guinea-worm to expel her young ”

“ Virus ecology looks at the more complex issues of virus-host-environment interactions. For plant viruses this includes studies of plant virus biodiversity, including viruses sampled directly from plants and from a variety of other environments; how plant viruses impact species invasion; interactions between plants, viruses and insects; the large number of persistent viruses in plants that may have epigenetic effects ”

“ The female Monachanthus, not having true pollinia to eject, is destitute of antennæ. In the male and hermaphrodite forms, namely Catasetum tridentatum and Myanthus barbatus, the pollinia lie doubled up, like a spring, ready to be instantly shot forth when the antennæ are touched. The disc end is always projected foremost, and is coated with viscid matter which quickly sets hard and affixes the hinged pedicel firmly to the insect's body. The insect flies from flower to flower, till at last it visits a female plant: it then inserts one of the pollen-masses into the stigmatic cavity. ”

“ Viruses can make plants more attractive to insects. Recent studies have shown that virus infection can affect the volatile compounds the plants produce, and this in turn can attract insects. In some cases virus-infected plants are better hosts for insects, resulting in increased feeding, whereas in other cases virus-infected plants are poor hosts, and insects leave quickly after probing the plants [12] . Although few studies have been done, there seems to be an interesting correlation between the type of transmission and the quality of the host for insect feeding. ”

“ The food often consists of small animal or vegetable organisms and of organic waste; it is usually introduced in toto into the endoplasm. On the other hand, the Suctoria extract nourishment from their prey by means of their tentacles. Many parasitic species also ingest solid food, others feed by endosmosis.
In all cases one nucleus at least is present. It is true that the existence of non-nucleated Protozoa, the so-called Monera, is still insisted upon, but some of these have already proved to be nucleated, and the presence of nuclei in the others will no doubt be established. ”

“ It grows best on media slightly less alkaline than human blood; it is very vigorous and may resist desiccation for several weeks.
This organism is distinctly pathogenetic to monkeys, and its virulence may be so increased that other animals may be affected by it. Though unable to live in clean or virgin soil, it may lead a saprophytic existence in soil polluted with faecal matter. Hughes maintains that the “virus” leaves the body of goats and of man along with the faeces and urine. ”

“ During the vine disease in France certain whole groups of varieties [8] have suffered far more from mildew than others. Thus "the group of the Chasselas, so rich in varieties, did not afford a single fortunate exception;" certain other groups suffered much less; the true old Burgundy, for instance, was comparatively free from disease, and the Carminat likewise resisted the attack. The American vines, which belong to a distinct species, entirely escaped the disease in France ”

“ When once this Fever begins, it is observed to be of a contagious Nature, and (if proper Care is not taken) to affect those who attend the Sick, or who live in the same Room, and breathe the same Air with them.
Many Authors have reckoned the Malignant, Petechial, and Pestilential, to be distinct Species of Fevers; and have treated each of them under a particular Head. But Riverius [27] has very justly observed, that they all belong to the same pestilential Tribe, and only differ from one another in the Degree of Infection, [56] and the Violence of the Symptoms [28] ”

“ But where the Fever was violent, we were obliged to neglect this Symptom of Worms for the present; and when the Fever was over, if there still [38] remained any Symptoms of Worms, we gave the purgative Medicine once or oftener, and in the Intervals gave the pulvis stanni, or an Infusion of Camomile Flowers; and in some Cases, oily Medicines. By these Means most of the Patients got well and recovered their Health, and seemed to be freed, at least for the present, from these troublesome Insects ”

“ Thus C. livia also builds in trees where there are no rocks; but, when able, returns to its ancestral habits. In the other species we should believe the primitive habit to be totally lost from disuse, or only to manifest itself in a faint uncertain manner.
Now, in Molothrus bonariensis we see just such a vague, purposeless habit as the imaginary one I have described. Before and during the breeding-season the females, sometimes accompanied by the males, are seen continually haunting and examining the domed nests of some of the Dendrocolaptidæ. ”

“ For it deserves especial attention that mongrel animals and plants, which are so far from being sterile that their fertility is often actually augmented, have, as previously shown, their size, hardiness, and constitutional vigour generally increased. It is not a little remarkable that an accession of vigour and size should thus arise under the opposite contingencies of increased and diminished fertility. It is a perfectly well ascertained fact [58] that hybrids will invariably breed more readily with either pure parent, and not rarely with a distinct species, than with each other. ”

“ My orchids, like my roses, have their parasites—the green and yellow fly, the black thrip, the mealy-bug, the lesser snail, the scale. Of late years the yellow fly has become more numerous, though, with the green fly, the rose is his especial prey. It is difficult to know what plan to adopt against my insect enemies. The rule of three will not solve the difficulty, for a mean proportional does not exist. If my houses are too hot or the plants too dry, the red spider and black thrip swarm; if too cold, the mildew comes; if the weather be muggy, it is a summons for the green and yellow fly. ”

“ Finally, the invested or invaded cell may so adapt itself to the demands of the invader that a sort of arrangement is arrived at by which life in common—Symbiosis—is established, each organism doing something for the other and each taking something from the other. In this latter case, which is often realised—e.g. lichens, leguminous plants and the organisms in their root-nodules, mycorrhiza, etc.—we leave the domain of disease, which supervenes indeed if the other symbiont is lacking. ”

“ The straight and well-furrowed ovarium is nearly twice as long as that of the female Monachanthus, but not so thick where it joins the flower; the ovules are opaque and pulpy after having been kept in spirits, and resemble those of the female in all respects, but are not so numerous. I believe that I saw the nucleus projecting from the testa, but dare not, as in the case of the Monachanthus, speak positively. The pollinia are about a quarter of the size of those of the male Catasetum, but have a perfectly well developed disc and pedicel. ”

“ Water-cress, transplanted to New Zealand, has grown as troublesome as the American weed in our canals, to the point of causing floods by damming up the streams upon which it takes a new exuberant life.
As measles or influenza fastens upon fresh blood like a plague, so do many of our downtrodden plants become bumptious and aggressive in the stimulating air of a new world, wherever [185] they find a not forbidding environment, and a fair chance to elbow a place for themselves in the struggle for existence. ”

“ Hybrids and mongrels are generally intermediate in character between the two parent-forms, yet occasionally they closely resemble one parent in one part and the other parent in another part, or even in their whole structure: nor is this difficult to understand on the admission that the gemmules in the fertilised germ are superabundant in number, and that those derived from one parent have some advantage in number, affinity, or vigour over those derived from the other parent. ”

“ Alternatively, the integrated sequences could provide protection against infection by similar viruses. The origins of these viruses are unknown, but their similarity to fungal viruses implies transmission across kingdoms. Phylogenetic analyses of the Partitiviridae and Endornaviridae families of persistent plant and fungal viruses support the transmission of these viruses among plant and fungal hosts. Since many fungi colonize plants, this could occur during these interactions [14] . ”

“ Let us make every test, every experiment, down to the absurd: the crude absurdity of the moment has sometimes proved to be the truth of the morrow. Besides, the well-known story of the Hive-bee should make us wary of rejecting paradoxical suppositions. Is it not by increasing the size of the cell, by modifying the quality and quantity of the food, that the population of a hive transforms a worker larva into a female or royal larva? ”

“ Destroy their breeding-places and you will have no flies. As the flies breed principally in manure the first remedial measure is to see that all manure is removed from the barn-yard [Pg 72] at least once a week and spread over the fields to dry, for the flies cannot breed in the dry manure. If it is not practicable to remove it this often the manure should be kept in a bin that is closed so tight that no flies can get into it to lay their eggs. ”

“ In the Morel the hymenium or spore-bearing surface is crowded with these cysts, and covers the entire exposed conical and pitted surface of the mushroom.
Description is hardly necessary with its portrait before us. No other fungus at all resembles it except those of the same genus, and inasmuch as they are all edible, we may safely add to our bill of fare any fungus which resembles our illustration. The Morel has long been considered as one of the rarest of delicacies, always at a fancy premium in the markets—a bon-mot for the rich, a prize for the peasant. ”

“ Now since such physiological races as I have described are by no means confined to Puccinia but are also known in Melampsora, Gymnosporangium and other fungi, we must conclude from this and from what we know of variation in plants and animals generally, that variation and adaptation are common among parasites, insects as well as fungi.
These considerations will serve to show moreover [177] that the question of breeding disease-proof varieties of our cultivated plants is complicated by the danger of our breeding at the same time adapted races of their pests. ”

“ I have frequently grown the fragile and deliquescent species common on manure from the seeds; but, even when the spawn is once formed, it is often many weeks before the little heads are developed into the true figure of the parents, even in the inky, fugitive and deliquescent species. Coprinus atramentarius can be readily grown from spores; if planted about rotten wood in the autumn, the fungi will appear in the late spring, and give two crops a year till the soil is exhausted. ”