SEEING BY AID OF THE LENS. 



247 



NO. 2. SECTION OF CORIANDER. 



tion at the upper left-hand region being 

 composed of the albumen. The slices, 

 each of which has been cut from a 

 slightly different level, also exhibit sec- 

 tions of the most important part of the 

 seed, the germ, or embryo that, in favor- 

 able conditions, will grow into a plant 

 similar to the one that produced the seed. 



The photograph shows that the em- 

 bryo of the Indian corn is placed at the 

 side of the albumen, the lower, darker 

 parts on the right-hand side being a sec- 

 tion of the germ ,with its single cotyle- 

 don, or the part that will develop into the 

 single seed-leaf, which, in the illustration, 

 is shown folded, as it naturally is folded, 

 around the narrower, central portion, 

 the plumule, or the first shoot of the 

 sprouting plant. In the Indian corn 

 only one leaf appears from each seed, 

 while in many others there are two. 



In the illustration the single seed-leaf 

 is seen forming an irregular, inverted 

 U-shaped surface, beginning at the upper 

 right-hand part, continuing around the 

 upper portion, and extending down- 

 wards almost to its point of origin. It 

 has this U-shaped aspect because the 

 knife has cut across the folded cotyledon. 

 A similar appearance may be obtained 

 by slicing almost any thick leaf, after it 

 has been doubled together in a fold 

 parallel with its foot-stalk or stem. 



NO. 3. SECTION OF SEED OF 

 CELERY. 



The elongated darker portion is the 

 plumule, which will shoot up and bear 

 the first leaves. 



The part from which the roots grow 

 is the radicle. 



Photograph 2 is a transverse section 

 of the spherical fruit of the aromatic 

 coriander, so often cultivated for ijts 

 spicy qualities. The oily substance 

 which gives the fruit its aromatic prop- 

 erties, is contained in little longitudinal 

 tubes, called vittse, and placed in the 

 body of the fruit. If a recently-made 

 section be held against the light, they 

 will become easily apparent, especially if 

 examined with a low-power pocket lens, 

 and will seem to be minute, circular, 

 light-colored spots or rings, as any other 

 tube would seem to be if cut across and 

 looked at from above. In the picture 

 of the coriander section they are not 

 clearly shown, probably because the slice 

 is thicker than it should be. The em- 

 bryo is very small, and is not visible in 

 the photograph, the razor having passed 

 through the hard albumen above it. 



Photograph 3 is a similar section 

 through the seed-vessel and the seed it- 

 self of the common celery, a plant be- 

 longing to the same natural order (the 

 Umbelliferae) with the coriander. The 

 entire central portion is filled with the 

 albumen. 



