OF THE COTYLEDONS. yi 



history of the genus Finus, iias illustrated this peculiarit} 

 ot" structure in the Swuss F. Cembra ; see our tab. 1, 

 Jig. 2. In the Dotnbeya, or Noilolk Island Pine, the co. 

 tyledons are veiy dicunctly lour : stejig. 3. 



The preservation of the vital principle in seeds is 

 one of those wonders of Nature which pass unregarded, 

 from being every day under our notice. Some lose 

 their>, vegrtative power by being kept out of the ground 

 ever so little a while after they are ripe, and in order to 

 succeed must sow themselves in tlieir own way, and at 

 their own time. Others may be sent round the world 

 through every vicissitude of climate, or buried fur ages 

 deep in the ground, till favourable circumstances cause 

 them to vegetate. Great degrees of heat, short of boil- 

 ing, do not impair the vegetative power of seeds, nor do 

 we know any degree of cold that has such an effect. 

 Those who convey seeds from distant countries, should 

 be instructed to keep them dry ; for if they receive any 

 damp sufficient to cause an attempt at vegetation, they 

 necessarily die, because the process cannot, as they are 

 situated, go on. If, therefore, they are not exposed to 

 so great an artificial heat as might change the nature of 

 their oily juices, they can scarcely, according to the ex- 

 perience of Mr. Salisbury, be kept in too warm a place. 

 By the preservation of many seeds so long under ground, 

 it seems that long-continued moisture is not in itself fatal 

 to their living powers ; neither does it cause their pre- 

 mature germination, unless accompanied by some action 

 of the air. 



It is usual with gardeners to keep Melon and Cucum- 

 ber seeds for a few years, in order that the future plants 



