92 BOTANY FOR BEGINNERS. [Citl XV 



tribe of annual plants ; in another the biennial plants would 

 vanish; the perennial would, year after year, disappear, until 

 (if we could suppose our own lives to be prolonged to the usual 

 age of man,) we should behold the earth one vast scene of ve- 

 getable ruin; occasionally here and there a venerable oak or 

 an ancient pine would stand in solitary grandeur, the mournful 

 remnants of the. oace beautiful and fertile vegetable kingdom. 



374. But such a sad spectacle the earth will never present; 

 for we have the promise of God himself, that " while the earth 

 remaineth, seed time and harvest shall not cease." 



375. We have seen in the progress of our inquiries, that 

 while the present plant is diffusing around it beauty and fra- 

 grance and administering to the necessities and luxuries oi 

 man, the watchful care of that Being, who never slumbers nor 

 sleeps, is by a slow but certain progress perfecting that pan 

 which is destined to continue the various species of plants un- 

 til time shall be no more. 



376. The seed is that internal part of the fruit which con- 

 tains the complete rudiment of a new plant, similar to that from 

 which it received its existence. 



377. The seed consists of three principal parts, viz. the eye, 

 husk, and kernel. 



378. ]st. The Eye, or hilum, is the scar formed by the sepa- 

 ration of the membrane or thread which connected the seed 

 with the pericarp, and conveyed to the former the necessary 

 nourishment. You can see the eye plainly in a bean or kernel 

 of corn. 



379. 2d. The Hush, is the outer coat of the seed, which, on 

 boiling, becomes separate ; as in peas, beans, Indian corn, &c. 

 The husk surrounds the kernel; it is essential, as the kernel, 

 which is originally a fluid, could not be formed without its pre- 

 sence. 



380. 3d. The Kernel, includes all that is contained within 

 the husk ; it is also called the nucleus or almond of the seed. 

 The kernel is usually composed of the albumen, cotyledon, and 

 embryo. 



381. Albumen makes up the chief part of some seeds, as the 



374. Will the earth ever present such a spectacle ? 



375. What have we seen in the progress of our inquiries 1 

 370. What does the seed contain 1 



377. Of how many parts does the seed consist 1 



378. Describe the eye. 



379. What is the husk 1 



380. What is the kernel, and into how many ?arts is it divided ? 

 381 What is said of the albumen ? 



