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as I may fay, with their points downwards, and their roots and 

 ilalks Ujnvards. But we mull confidcr that the feeds of the AHi, 

 which grow in * chillers on the tree, do at length, by their weight, 

 hang downwards, and that the fame is the cafe witli apples and 

 pears, which while they are very fmall. Hand erecl on their ftalks, 

 UTid confequently the origin of the future plants formed in them, is 

 placed with its root upwards ; but when the fruit grows to fuch a 

 lize, as by its gravity to hang downwards, then the young plant in 

 the feed or kernel, has its root and leaves in the fame pofition as it 

 will have when growing. 



Upon opening the feed of the Alh, I found in the middle of it 

 two large leaves, and a) lb the firft rudiment, or beginning of that 

 part which woidd become a root, and thefe leaves were larger than I 

 have obferved in the feed of any plant whatever. Thefe leaves when 

 examined by the microfcope, appeared as \n fig. 3. C D E F, and I 

 found them to conlitl of an immenfe number of thin roinid promi- 

 nent globules, which I endeavoured to imitate in the drawing, though 

 they are not there reprefented nearly fo fmall as they appeared to 

 me. I alfo faw in thofe leaves a great number of fibres, or more 

 properly veflels covered with wonderfully minute globules ; which 

 veflels, but without the globules, are reprefented in the figure : thefe 

 velTels arife from the infide of that part whence the future Item or 

 trunk of the tree, and alfo the root are produced ; which is pointed 

 out in the figure at A B C F G H. This lall mentioned part which 

 would produce the Hem and root, befides thofe veflels from which 

 the fibres of the leaves ilTue, and which may properly be confidered 

 as the marrow or fap of the wood, is moreover provided with many 

 veflels ; and in order to reprefent thofe veflels in a clearer light, I 

 cut a piece tranfverfely, at the place marked with the letters B G, 

 and having placed the piece or flice before the microfcope, I made 

 as exact a drawing as I was able of it, with all the veflels in it, as 



* In England, thefe cluftors of feeds on the Afli, from the rcfemblance (hey bear to a 

 Auuch of keys, arc called Afli-kcys. 



