likeness does the cew bear to the grass it feeds 

 upon? The one moves freely from place to place, 

 in obedience to its own will, as its wants or con- 

 venience require; the other is fixed to the spot of 

 earth where it grew, manifests no will, and makes no 

 movements that are manifest to ordinary obser- 

 vation. The one takes its food into an internal 

 cavity (the stomach), from which it is absorbed into 

 the system; the other absorbs its food directly by 

 its surface, by its roots, leaves, etc. Both possess 

 organs, but the limbs or members of the animal do not 

 at all resemble the roots, leaves, blossoms, etc., of 

 the plant. All these distinctions; however, gradually 

 disappear, as we come to the lower kinds of plants 

 and the lower animals. 



Botany is the name of the science of the vegetable 

 kingdom in general. Physiology is the study of 

 living beings. 



THE COURSE OF VEGETATION. We see plants 

 growing from the seed in spring time, and gradually 

 developing their parts; at length they blossom, bear 

 fruit, and produce seed like those from which they 

 grew. 



To study plant life, it is best to begin with the 

 seed and trace the plant's growth from the very be- 

 ginning. 



Every seed contains a rudimentary plantlet called 

 an Embryo. 



Its little stem is named the Radicle, because it was 

 supposed to be the root. Its seed-leaves it bears on 

 its summit are technically called Cotyledons. The 

 little bud of undeveloped leaves, which is to be found 

 between the cotyledons before germinating in many 

 cases. (as in the pea and bean), has been named the 

 Plumule. 



In the seed, either in the embryo itself or around it, 



