hot-wired nature

"in agriculture, we hot-wire the landscape, bypassing nature's control devices...it is...fruitless to argue whether the beltsville hog with the human growth hormone gene spliced inshould exist, or if we should be using biotechnology to develop herbicide resistance in soybeans. what makes us think we can adequately assess these proposed projects? only our cartesian assumptions that we know enough to run the world..."- wes jackson from "nature as measure"_________________________________________________ my little hot-wired slice of nature is growing nicely with a second set of leaves developing in the diminished november sunlight under the acacia tree...but why? the average soybean planting date in indiana falls between mid-may and mid-june depending on temperature...it can be cool then but i am willing to bet this drafty house we're in right now is cooler...so am i so off base in wondering why this bean germinated in a field after harvest in october? especially since my first experiment with asparagus seed ( and asparagus is a cool weather crop ) hasn't budged? i've been wrong before so just to see what might happen i took a kernel of hopi blue maize off one of the ears that are hanging in the living room ( and will provide some of the seed for next spring's maize ) and planted it in a container under the very same acacia...it plants around the same time as round up ready soy beans ( i planted the maize that grew on campus last season on may 25th which was also the iuncg's planting day ) and i am curious to see if it germinates or if it knows what time of year it is...certainly either the bean plant is confused or i am...more if and when it comes up.