4 STIRRING THE SOIL. [CHAP. I. 



seed is put into the ground, it is the warmth 

 and moisture by which it is surrounded that 

 make it vegetate. It first swells, and the skin 

 with which it is covered cracks and partly peels 

 off: then two shoots issue from the vital knot 

 (a point easily discoverable in large seeds), one 

 of which descends and is called the root, while 

 the other ascends to form the leaves, stem, 

 flowers, and fruit. 



This is what is meant by the germination of 

 the seed, and this may be effected by the aid of 

 heat and moisture alone, as is done with mus- 

 tard and cress, when raised on wet flannel in 

 a saucer. But plants raised in this manner 

 cannot be of long duration ; as, though they 

 will live for a short time on the albumen con- 

 tained in the seed (on which they feed, as the 

 chicken does on the nourishment contained in 

 the egg), this is soon exhausted, and the plant 

 will die if not supplied with fresh food, which 

 it obtains principally by means of the root. 

 Thus, the root is necessary, not only to form a 

 base to support the plant and to keep it upright, 

 but to supply it with food ; and nature has given 

 it a tendency to bury itself in the ground, not 

 only to enable the plant to take a firm hold of 

 the soil, but to preserve the root in a fitting 

 state for absorbing food, which it can only do 

 when it is kept moderately warm and moist, and 

 secluded from the light. 



The manner in which the root is fitted for the 

 purposes for which it was designed affords an 

 admirable illustration of the care and wisdom 

 displayed by the Great Creator in all his works. 

 In nature nothing is superfluous, and yet every- 



