336 Appendix. 



the crisp and juicy one of cutivation, the hard tissues of the native apple or 

 pear into the larger and softer ones of our table fruit, the colors of the wild 

 flowers into those of extravagant patterns on the one hand or of greater 

 harmony on the other, flowers with single rows of floral organs into double 

 ones, or so changes their times of flowering that those which would appear 

 naturally in the spring shall come forth in fall or winter. With such ends in 

 view, the plant becomes nearly as plastic as wax in his hands, but to accomplish 

 his ends, he should have a good idea of the vital processes of vegetable growth. 

 In short he should know vegetable physiology. I shall, therefore, try to lead 

 you aside for a time from plant diseases and injurious insects, kinds of trees 

 to put in an orchard, methods of cultivation and implements, sprays and 

 spraying, best ways of packing, and how to secure markets — aside from such 

 subjects. I say, right back to nature and her workings. Whether in such a 

 study I lead you away altogether from things of practical utility, I shall leave 

 you to determine. 



In the great round of nature, with her succeeding and constantly recurring 

 seasons, there is no place of beginning nor of ending ; but the most natural 

 place of beginning is the spring — the season of sprouting seeds and stems. I 

 shall, therefore, proceed shortly to discuss the seed. 



The Heed. — If we make sections or pull apart most seeds, we will find 

 always present certain parts. It is protected on the outside by a coat, a doul)le 

 coat, which may be either thick or thin, according to the nature of the fruit 

 which produced it. Inside of this coat is the true seed, or embryo, consisting 

 of one or more seed-leaves, the cotyledons, from one end of which projects the 

 young root, or caulicle. while just above it, and more or less protected by the 

 seed-leaves is the young ascending axis, or plumule. If the seed we happen to 

 be cutting in two be that of the "Digger Pine," or any other conifer, we shall 

 find a mass of whitish, sweet material outside of and completely surrounding 

 the germ or embryo, called the endosperm, or store of food for the young plant. 



The process of germination, or commencement of observable growth in the 

 seed, is of a three-fold nature ; first, the absorption of moisture ; second, the 

 solution of food material stored up in the cotyledons or in the endosperm : 

 third, the expansion of the embryo, and all have their bearings upon horticulture 

 or agriculture. The coats of some seeds are remarkably different from others 

 in the rapidity with which they absorb water, and the consequent impulse they 

 will give to germination. Some, such as apples and pears, have coats with the 

 cells standing upright, or of a "palisade" nature, and such absorb water and 

 become mucilaginous in a few hours. Any botanist, who has ever placed the 

 seeds of our wild Gilias in water, and under the microscope has seen them uncoil 

 their spiracles of gum or mucilage almost instantly, has looked iipon a most 

 remarkable and beautiful phenomenon. Such seeds are therefore very ready 

 to germinate. Compare, on the other hand, the seed of clover and many other 

 leguminous crops. Experiments with these have proved that they will not only 

 not always germinate at once when soaked in water, but that will keep alive 

 and grow after they have been immersed in water several years. This shows 

 us plainly why we may not succeed in getting a good stand of clover the first 

 year, although we sowed the seed thickly upon the ground, but why the second 

 or third year the crop may cover all available space in the field, even when 

 very little seed has been produced from the crop itself. Soaking such and 

 kindred seeds for several hours or even days is often very important to the 

 gardener. I had visual evidence of this once in a remarkable manner. Some 

 of my parsnip seeds were planted unsoaked, and some soaked. The ground was 

 quite dry at this time, and a succession of sunny days added to the dryness 

 of the soil. The seeds which had been soaked for a day germinated readily, 

 while from the dry seeds I doubt whether half a dozen plants came to maturity. 



Then it is remarkable how differently the freshness of seeds will affect 

 their germination. Poplars and elms lose their vitality unless planted sonn 

 after maturitv, nuts lose it after the lapse of a very few years, while peas. 



