Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, No. 56 — page 120: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SYMBIOSIS where John spent almost all his spare time. Rayson was working in one corner of the vast glasshouse, where an incubator was humming. An enormous refrigerator oc- cupied another corner. The work bench was backed by shelves containing rows of chemicals in bottles, and be- side this was’a desk littered with paper about to overflow on open notebooks contain- ing details of current wock. “This is the place where all the real work is done.”’ John introduced his laboratory proudly. “The smaller cup- board over there contains the phase contrast microscope and the microtome, along with the balance of essentials. Down the end here FY John took his friend into a smaller house “‘——I have the stages through which we have developed.”’ George looked at the neatly tagged and carefully tended growths in the boxes. Then with some surprise he noticed a healthy specimen of Mimosa pudica, the sensitive plant. 119 “Is this included in your work ?”’ he queried. His surprise was evident, and it made John laugh when he replied: ‘“‘Why, yes. You see I’m trying to take on the job of working out the in- gredients of the co-operating plant. At least, that is a rough name for it. I want one which will give copious supplies of a honey type of food and I have an idea it may be useful if it can move so that the clumsiest of human partners will not dam- age it. Using plant hormones I have discovered, I have been able to alter chromosome numbers so that the question of including the properties of as many plants as possible has been overcome.” George was still trying to orientate the information he had been given. “How big will this thing be?’ he asked. A frown furrowed his fore- head. “‘Something about the size of an aspidistra or a tree ?”’ John laughed again, de- lighted to discuss the theories comicloooks.com