( 51 ) 



feed : and when the feed and cotton were fully ripe, the cells in 

 which they were contained, burll open, and the cotton loofed itfelf 

 from the feed, and then each particle of cotton which before had 

 laid in regular order belide each other, as at Jig. lO, ftarted 

 afunder, as rcprefented at j^^. 17; by which means a fmall 

 quantity of the filaments of the cotton being fo widely difperfed, 

 ■was, with the leaft wind carried away, bearing with it many of 

 thofe minute feeds, and flying over walls and buildings, could de- 

 pofit tlie feeds of the Willow in very diftant grounds. Upon nar- 

 jowly infpecling this feed, I faw that the part from whence the fu- 

 ture root would arife, and which was about one third of the feed, 

 was provided with many veflels which feemed to conlill, for the 

 jnoll part, of oblong and round particles. The reft of the feed 

 confifted of two parts joined clofe together like leaves, very folid in 

 proportion to their lize, of a dark green colour, and feeming to be 

 formed of globules. Having fcparated thefe afunder, I faw two 

 very minute protuberances, which I imagined were the beginnings 

 of two leaves, and the origin of the future tree ; hence I concluded, 

 that the firft two parts \^ hich 1 have compared to leaves, were only 

 defigned to afford nourilhment to the young plant, until it fhould be 

 provided with roots, by which it could extrad: its nourifliment from 

 the earth. 



In order further to fatisfy my curiofity refpccting this very mi- 

 nute feed, from which fo large a tree as the Willow is produced, 

 I took fome of the feeds, and, in the month of June, placed them 

 in moill fand in my clofet, in order to fee how the beginning of 

 vegetation would be performed in this very fmall feed. But before 

 I put the feed into the fand, and while it was yet very dry, I viewed 

 it with the fame microfcope from which the drawings of the pre- 

 ceding young formed plants are taken, and it appeared as rcpre- 

 fented 'dt Jig. 18, ABCDEF: but thefe feeds were of very dif- 

 ferent fhapes, for in drying they became crooked, fbme more than 

 others. ABE F, is that part of the feed from \\ hence the root 

 would arife. 



