24 THE MICROSCOPE. 



was directed to report at the next meeting and submit plans and a 

 date. The occasion will be made a profitable and pleasant one. 



Several excellent mounts of the minute anatomy of the fly pre- 

 pared by one of the members, were exhibited. A mount of young 

 oysters, in motion, was also shown. 



The society then adjourned to meet the last Thursday in March. 



Th.a.1) S. Up de Grakk, Sec'y. 



CAMDEN MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 



At the meeting of the Camden Microscopical Society, Isaac C. 

 Martindale read an interesting paper on " Cell Structure in the 

 Vegetable Kingdom." He said he had no new points to introduce, 

 he merely wished to show the commoner things in life. 



Few who love flowers, and attend them daily with care, know 

 how they grow, or seldom think of the life that is within them; few 

 know how vegetable growth is made. The earlier scientists traced 

 the vegetable growth backward to the elementary; while the mod- 

 ern begin as far back in the elementary life as possible, and trace 

 the growth through various stages to its completed development. 

 What a plant is, is still a question in botany, and all that is referred 

 to in this paper is on a theory, seemingly proven by the use of the 

 wonderful power of the microscope, yet it is far beyond our com- 

 prehension, a confirmation of the declaration "thus far, no farther." 

 Growth is apparent as brought to our view, and some growth is 

 made before we can see it. The first we know, is a cell being 

 formed from a fluid containing sugar, gum and mucous, a wall being 

 formed around this cell that is permeable, and thus we have a com- 

 pleted structure. First a conglomerate mass, i::capable of motion, 

 but endowed with life, expanding and enlarging until a cell wall is 

 formed. 



The law of natural shape of natural objects is spherical, a mul- 

 tiplication and division of cells form different shapes and this makes 

 up all vegetable growth. A fragment of leaf, bark and root are 

 formed by cells. This cell wall is perfectly closed, yet permeable 

 by the water that surrounds the cells which comes in with a force 

 that generates a circular movement, a movement that is necessary to 

 all life. The anac/iaris, common along our streams, shows this 



