1 66 GROWTH OF St EDS, 



cord) is or is not the life of the plant. I placed a bean in 

 the earth, and when the infant plant was ready to leave 

 the seed ; I opened it with a fine lancet, and cut off the 

 cotyledons, just where they join the heart and the circular 

 hook I have before described. Tying a piece of thread, 

 easy to be broken, round the bean, I replaced it in the earth. 

 The cotyledons grew again, though higher up, but they ap- 

 peared very weak and sickly for some time. 

 The loss of the I then placed another bean in the earth, and at the game 



kunt d ° eS UOt a ° e * cut off the root * In a few days lt grew a S ain » an( * 

 appeared perfectly healthy. 



To see what the effect of taking away only the nourish- 

 ing vessels would be, I separated and cut them off from 

 Throws out each side of the bean ; but the quantity of hairs, that grew 

 hairs to convey f rom t |j e W ounded part, and attained the moisture to con- 

 vey the nourishment, and supply the place of the part I cut 

 away, is almost incredible. 



I now took a bean about four *days in the earth, and 

 Inyariably dies opening it with great care, I took out with a fine lancet the 

 ^ith the loss of part w i HO h i esteem the cord of life (See PI. V, fig. 1, ll) t 

 lif e# that is, the part which crossed the corculum, and shot forth 



on the first impregnation of the plant. The whole de- 

 cayed. I repeated this" more than a dozen times, the plant 

 always died. 



I took a flower of the lilium species, as having a large 

 seed vessel easily attained ; and, being careful not to sepa- 

 rate it from the nourishing vessels, I divided the line of life, 

 cutting each thread between the seeds. Its seeds were 

 never impregnated. 



I now tried the taking the nerve of life from the chesnut, 



the walnut, acorn, &c, first opening a seed without touch-' 



ing the nerve, that I might be assured that the opening was 



I nfant plant not the cause of its death. Those from which I took the 



killed by tak- nerve> a \\ died ; and the others, that I had merely laid 



line of life. open, lived. It is only at the first beginning of life, that 



the plant is to be killed by this process ; when older, if the 



nerves decay, they shoot out above the declining part, and! 



run into any part of the stem that is pure, to preserve them- 



Sourec of life selves. This is the source of life in very decayed trees. 



in decayed ^his [$ ^ e cause of a double pith, or at least of the appear* 



*"*• ance 



