THE KINDLY FRUITS OF THE EARTH 



heavy with starch and albumen and oil, suppHed 

 to the beasts of the field and the birds of the 

 air, by the kindly fruits of the earth. 



It is perhaps well to put clearly here the mean- 

 ing of fruit as the botanist knows and uses it. 

 Fruit to him means, first, the embryo of the 

 plant with whatever may be provided of starch, 

 albumen, or sugar to enable the first roots to 

 sprout and the first leaves to form. This with 

 a compact and closely fitting cover constitutes 

 the seed. If there is nothing more, then the 

 seed is the fruit. But very few seeds are left 

 without an additional covering; in the apple it 

 is the flesh, in the berry the pulp, in the capsule 

 it is the strong, dry cover that protects the en- 

 closed seeds. This seed-cover, whatever it may 

 be, together with seed or seeds within, makes the 

 fruit of the plant. As most rules have vsome 

 exceptions, it may be noted here that the akene, 

 which is a dry seed-cover protecting a single 

 seed, is often called a seed; but whatever one 

 calls it, one should know that it is really a com- 

 plete fruit. 



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