100 IN A GLOUCESTERSHIRE GARDEN 



those who desire to look deeper into the mysteries of 

 nature. That they are deeply interesting to many is 

 quite certain, and their chief interest lies in their 

 mystery, and so in our real ignorance about them. As 

 a seed lies in our hand, or under our microscope, we 

 may, perhaps, see something of its shape and colour, 

 but its history is too marvellous for us fully to read, 

 for it has a long history of the past, and as long a his- 

 tory for the future. As to the history of the past, the 

 old idea that plants were created in order that fruits 

 and other products useful and pleasant to man might 

 be brought into existence, and for those purposes only, 

 has long been exploded ; and we now believe that the 

 whole life of a plant is directed to the one object of 

 forming seed for the continuance of the life of the 

 plant. Not for the sake of the beautiful flowers has 

 the plant gone through its life : the beautiful flowers 

 themselves were only one step onward in the forma- 

 tion of the seed. To form that little seed the plant 

 lay dormant through the cold of winter, and in due 

 time sprang up from its winter's sleep ; for the sake of 

 that only stem and leaves were formed, and became 

 the conduits of pure air and moisture, and carried the 

 warmth of the sun and the refreshing rain to the root 

 and sap which were gradually building up the wonder- 

 ful architecture of the flower ; for the sake of the seed 



