UOW PLANTS GROW. 171 



provided, some advantage is generally expected from the treat." The above 

 quotation some of you may be familiar with : I am not. 



NATURE IS LAVISH. 



If a plant is contrived with underground flowers, like our wild violets, which 

 bear seeds all summer, but little pollen is formed to fertilize each flower ; but 

 there is enough. If insects are to aid, we find more pollen, and if the fickle 

 wind is the chief agent, we often find vast quantities (34,000,000 grains in a 

 conifer, perhaps) for each seed. Nature is lavish with her treasures. All of 

 our trees and shrubs start with more young seeds (ovules) than they usually 

 ripen. The cherry, the peach, the plum, have two in each pit, but seldom 

 ripen but one. The oak, chestnut, and horse-chestnut have three cells with 

 two ovules in each, — six ovules where one seed generally ripens. The bass- 

 wood has five cells, with two ovules in a cell, — ten ovules to ripen but one 

 seed. So all over the animal world there is a wise provision made for many 

 failures. 



In growth of plants there is 



ORDER AND DESIGN. 



There is design in the array of fractions which express the arrangement of 

 leaves and buds and floAvers on the stem, in the way the different parts of a 

 flower are arranged with reference to the other parts, or the leaf near which 

 they grow. There is order in the way in which leaves are packed away in the 

 bud, as well as the manner in which they hang from the tree. There is order 

 in the arrangement of the seeds in the pistil, and in the bursting of the pistils 

 to distribute the seeds. Plants grow to produce seeds, which are to keep up a 

 Buccession. 



THE MOTIONS 



of plants is a theme of much interest, and for some years have attracted con- 

 siderable attention. I will only mention one or two. The drosera, or sun-dew 

 of our marshes, is a small plant with leaves covered with sensitive hairs, which 

 have sticky glands at the ends. These move towards and catch small flies, 

 which they then proceed to digest and use up. I have seen eighteen small 

 flies caught on one leaf no larger than a cent. Another foreign plant has two 

 small leaflets and one large one. The two small leaflets keep up, in warm 

 weather, alternate, jerking motions, perhaps to scare off the flies, — nobody 

 knows. The sorrel, and locust, and many plants, change the shape of their 

 leaves at night. A grape vine or hop vine climbs above the top of a post, then 

 tips over and swings clear around and around, sometimes making a complete 

 revolution once in two hours. I have seen a hop vine go up over four feet be- 

 fore tipping over. Some plants swing around one way, some the other, and 

 some are indifferent. These are all matters worthy of study. 



LIMITS OF GRAFTING. 



You all know that we can only graft successfully plants which are closely 

 related, — plants which at least belong to the same natural order, as the pear on 

 quince or thorn. I know of some large stumps of horse-chestnut trees which 

 an ignorant gardener spoiled by trying to make scions of chestnuts grow in 

 them. The name chestnut deceived him : he had no idea the plants were not 

 related, and not of the same natural order. He lived near neighbor to J. J» 

 Thomas, too, showing that one person will not necessarily absorb information 

 by living near another who happens to be well informed. 



