Crescograph

A crescograph is a device for measuring growth in plants. It was invented in the early 20th century by Jagdish Chandra Bose, a Bengali Indian scientist.

The Bose crescograph uses a series of clockwork gears and a smoked glass plate to record the movement of the tip of a plant (or its roots) at magnifications of up to 10,000. Marks are made on the plate at intervals of a few seconds, demonstrating how the rate of growth varies under varying stimuli. Bose experimented with temperature, chemicals, gasses and electricity[1].

References

1. edsanders.com - Jagadis Bose Research on Measurement of Plant Growth (reproductions of Bose Research Institute books from the Hanscom AFB Geophysical Research Library) retrieved April 27, 2007