174 On I he Physiologij of Fegetalks. 



herbaceous plant, in the progress of the flower-bud. They both, 

 form it in the root; but in trees and shrubs they make bcvcrfil' 

 stages, — in herbaceous plants but two. 



The first of the propositions selected for this letter, and which ,i 

 I engaged it should in a manner prove, U'os, " that the flower- 

 _bud was formed in the root, and of course t!iat the root was the 

 laboratory of plants;" since I before showed that the seeds were 

 also protruded there. There are so many curious dissections 

 appropriated to this subject, that it is peculiariy by specimens I 

 must prove the truth of the fact. I shall first show therefore, , 

 bv a series of prints (taken in progressive order from the plants), 

 how the flower-bud passes in tiees and shrubs, from the moment 

 of its formation to its decay; that the reader mav be as capable 

 of judging as if he had the plants before him, in regular suc- 

 cession ; since the specimens are the exact prototypes of the 

 interior of the tegctable from which th.ey are taken. And 

 though every single specimen will not be given, on account 6; 

 their number, yet I shall show the principal points of most oi 

 them, as they succeed each other. 



A soft ball appears in the middle of the root traced regularly 

 from its first formation, by opening a fresh plant every third day. 

 This ball is then in a little time seen to pass up the line of life 

 (a circle of cylinders discovered between the pith and wood), and 

 \vhich only enlarges at the flowering season for this purpose. 

 This is never observed till a month or six weeks before or after 

 flowering time. By degrees each specimen shows the ball 

 moving up towards that aperture from wh.ich it is to break ; 

 while the cylinders naturally swell, and increase in size, ac- 

 cording to the quantity of buds ready to pass up (Plate I. fig. 1.) 

 When thev reach the part of the line of life from whence 

 thev are to be ejected from their place of concealment, the cv- 

 linder then opens, and one or two buds protrude, just opposite 

 the ready made scales in the bark, which is in future prepared 

 to receive them, when they shall have passed the Jigmnn part. 

 It is now they begin their passage through the wood, drawing a 

 long string behind them (see fig. 2.). This may be seen, and dis- 

 posed in diflferent specimens in so many various ways, that a per- 

 son must be blind or incredulous in the extreme^ not to be con- 

 vinced. In the first specimen the bud may be caught moving 

 on, and drowing a string behind through the beginning layers of 

 wood: then by cutting fresh specimens horizontally, and keep- 

 ing them on the table a few hours, the bud, if then placed un- 

 der the microscope, will pass (while imder your eye) out of the 

 wood. In a specimen of new wood, if the bark is taken off 

 gently, all the buds (being still incased in the wood) are left 

 there, and the scales alone remain in the bark; and in fig. •>, 



thti 



I 



