344 



ON THE STEM OF TREES. 



Circle of life 

 overlooked. 



Is the life or 

 principal part 

 Of the stem. 



Circle of life. The next part is the small circle of vessels situate between 

 the wood and the pith, or rather between the spiral vessels 

 and the pith ; which plays so very conspicuous a part in the 

 history of the beginning seed, as I hope to have proved in 

 my first letter; and which I have ventured to call the circle 

 of life. I gave before the strongest proof I could, that a 

 plant cannot exist a day without it ; and that, if taken away 

 at a very early age, it will not (like every other part) grow 

 again: but when older it will certainly renew itself. It is 

 very curious, that every botanical anatomist has drawn these 

 lines without giving them a name, or otherwise noticing 

 them; they attributed all their powers to the pith, which, 

 from the scanty term of its existence, and its being perpe- 

 tually impeded in its progress, to make way for the flower 

 bud, can evidently have little power. : But it was probably 

 their extreme delicacy that caused them to be overlooked 

 by all but Hill, whose admirable treatise on the woods it is 

 quite wonderful should be disregarded. The circle of life 

 consists of rows of little cylinders, that have their own pe- 

 culiar juice, generally of an austere quality. From this 

 part all branches take their rise, and all wood threads grow. 

 They run up (see PI. IX, Fig. 10 and 11) into all flower 

 buds, but never approach the leaf bud. When they enter 

 the former, they make their way distinctly to each separate 

 flower, forming the pistil, and after depositing in each seed 

 the line which is the first origin of life, they are afterward 

 impregnated, or gain the power of giving life, by the juice 

 of the stamen, which runs through the same string into the 

 seed, 

 Is the first part That in this part resides the principal vitality of the 

 that dies. plant, I think I proved in my former letter; but I must 



add, that it is the first part that dies, when a branch is cut 

 from a tree, or a tree torn up. In watching the fruit after 

 a sudden frost, if taken soon enough, it is this line alone, 

 that will appear to be burnt. In a few hours after, the rest 

 of the pistil (at least the pointal and style) wiH be turned a 

 reddish black ; but after the first sign it never recovers. But 

 in wood, if this line gets injured (either by the decay of the 

 bud or other means) the circle will undulate into a thousand 

 forms, to regain a wholesome situation in which to pursue 

 its course. I have many curious specimens of decayed 



wood 



