THE ACORN. 89 
a texture, that a slight rub would 
be sufficient to break it, yet so 
nicely is it fitted to its shell, that 
the nut may be handled very 
roughly without injuring it. This 
germ consists of two parts, the 
plume which rises and forms the 
future stem, and the beak or 
radicle which descends and forms 
the root. How surprising is the 
ascent of the one and the descent 
of the other! It is, in fact, the Eo 
effort of the one to get into the air, and of the other 
to enter the earth. Were they to be placed in an 
inverted position, the result would be the same; each 
would bend itself toward its proper element. 
Clasping the germ are the 
twé lobes of the kernel, which 
serve the important purpose of 
sustaining the life of the plant 
until it has become sufficiently 
rooted to derive all its nourish- 
ment from the soil. 
When through the combined 
influence of heat and moisture, 
the germ cracks open the case 
by which it is confined, it sends 
down a strong radicle, called a Red-Oak. 
tap-root; then the two lobes of the kernel separate, 
and the plume springs out from between them. This 
consists of two leaves, which soon expand and disclose 
Q x 
