Page:Researches on Irritability of Plants.djvu/38

itself is maintained in a state of persistent vibration by the usual electro-magnetic arrangement. I shall for the sake of convenience refer to this reed-interrupter as the Coercer; and the writing-index simply as the vibrating-recorder or Vibrator. The reed was at first purposely selected of too great a length, so that the natural frequency of the coercer should be slower than that of the vibrator. The free end of the coercing reed carries a platinum wire which, dipping into a cup of mercury, completes the electric circuit. The other end is clamped, and by shifting the clamping-point the vibrating length of the reed is gradually and continuously shortened. This has the effect of gradually raising the vibration-frequency of the interrupting reed. A time soon comes when the frequency of the coercer is exactly the same as that of the vibrator. The latter, which has been hitherto more or less inert, now suddenly breaks out, as foreseen, into very regular and sustained vibrations of large amplitude. For some purposes it is important that the vibration-frequency of the recording-index should have a definite value. The various frequencies most suitable for these researches were 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 vibrations per second. The exciting reed was previously calibrated by means of frequency-meters, or standard tuning-forks, to give these values. Then, with great expenditure of time and patience, different vibrating-recorders having various standardised frequencies were constructed. For this we have to select fine-steel wires of differing lengths and thicknesses. The final tuning is accomplished by careful filing or hammering. Filing the tip of the vibrator raises the frequency; and hammering of the wire, near the point of suspension, lowers it. A general flattening, along the whole length, tends to maintain the vibration in a definite plane, otherwise the free tip is apt to execute an elliptical vibration. The tuning of the vibrator with the coercer is not very difficult when the vibration-frequency is low, say 10 per second. But when the frequency is high, say 100 or 200 times in a second, an exact tuning is essential. The slightest