4^^J^ ON THE INTERIOR OF PLANTS. 



sort of cradle for buds, where often two or three are found 

 resting, and completing their scales, and fitinj^ themselves 

 for their entrance into the world. It is this situation, that 

 has been taken for their birth ; but it is only their place of 

 repose after their long journey. In young wood there is so 

 much pith, that they have but little way to travel ; but in 

 ."»ld wood it is very curious to behold the Itngth of way 

 through which they will go, the wood-vessels arranghig 

 themselves in the most exact order, to let them pass. In the 

 yew, where there are so many buds, they will continually 

 derange even the yearly or silver grain, and oblige this aUo 

 to prepare them a proper and hollow passage. In all plants 

 where the pith stops not, the line of life runs in the middle 

 of the pith, constantly making its way to the exterior, wjth 

 the buds. I have in some annuals, and some herbaceous 

 plants, good specimens, where the buds are passing in dif- 

 ferent directions. I shall give one of the malvas (See fig. 5). 

 Hard mortar At first it appears impossible, that so soft a substance as a 

 penetrated by l^ud should make its way through such a quantity of hard 

 aml"tone bya '"^^*^^''' but many instances have been known, where vine- 

 ang-tre«. buds have passed through the hardest mortar; and I once 

 saw the branch of a fig-tree, which had made its way through 

 Bath stone. But in the present case it is not the bud, 

 which forces forward : it is the wood, which in a far more 

 extraordinary way prepares for its reception, by the preced- 

 ing of even a softer substance than itself, albumen. With- 

 out absolutely saying so, we are very apt to set bounds to 

 the power of God ; and circumscribe it within our capabili- 

 ties ; yet every day's study should convince us, that it is 

 only little by little, that we can even comprehend the glori^^ 

 0U8 works of the Creator ; and the astonishing power he hus 

 shown in this beauteous world he has formed. 



The bud will not permit any thing in the nature of wood 

 to turn it from its course, which is always the shortest line 

 that can be drawn from almost the centre to the circumr- 

 ference. I once saw a horse-sihoe, which had by some means 

 got into the wood ; the buds in vain essayed to pierce it, 

 they all died in the act of trying ; some of them made an 

 effort {being stronger) to pass round it ; but died also be- 

 fore they could reach their destination : at last the line of 



life 



