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21 
called the embryo, it being in truth the plant in its earliest 
state. 
Let us now observe what takes place in a bean when 
planted in the earth. The first change is, that the lobes 
swell from the absorption of moisture, and at length the 
coat or husk bursts. The radicle or young root is next seen 
to push out and strike down into the soil, and when it has 
acquired a certain length, then the part which is to form 
the stem, leaves, and flowers, begins to expand or grow 
also, and at length emerges into the light and air. This 
part is named the plumule or plume. 
In this process of germination or growth of a seed, you 
will remark, that the radicle is always formed, or to 
speak more correctly, is developed before the plume, and 
you will easily recognize the wisdom of this arrangement ; 
for, as the root is the organ by which the plant is to be 
nourished, the importance, or, indeed, the necessity of 
its being first called into action, must be apparent; 
-and this being requisite, you cannot fail to appreciate the 
consequence of which it is, that the constitution of the 
seed is such as to accomplish the object required. But the 
physiologist asks,—if the root be necessary to the growth 
of the plant, what is necessary to the growth of the root 
until i¢ is able to provide for itself, and extract nutriment 
from the ground? 
The kid, or the lamb, or the calf, is nourished until it 
can live by cropping herbage, from a fountain of nutriment 
supplied by the mother, in other words the milk. Has the 
young bean any such provision? Yes; and without ‘that, 
it could not be developed into the growiiig plant. The 
lobes of the seed pétform to it the same office that i8 per- 
formed to the young animal by the udder.* 
* See Dr, Hunter, in his editition of Evelyn’s Sylva, p, 33, 
c 
