XIII. THE SEED AND HUSK. 245 



the stages of growth in each of these parts of the 

 treasury, they never say of what use the guardian is 

 to the guarded part, irrespective of its service to 

 man. The mechanical action of the husk in con- 

 taining and scattering the seeds, they indeed often 

 notice and insist on ; but they do not tell us of 

 what, if any, nutritious or fostering use the rind is 

 to a chesnut, or an orange's pulp to its pips, or a 

 peach's juice to its stone. 



4. Putting aside this deeper question for the 

 moment, let us make sure we understand well, and 

 define safely, the separate parts themselves. A seed 

 consists essentially of a store, or sack, containing 

 substance to nourish a germ of life, which is sur- 

 rounded by such substance, and in the process of 

 growth is first fed by it. The germ of life itself 

 rises into two portions, and not more than two, 

 in the seeds of two-leaved plants; but this sym- 

 metrical dualism must not be allowed to confuse 

 the student's conception, of the three organically 

 separate parts, — the tough skin of a bean, for 

 instance; the softer contents of it which we boil 

 to eat ; and the small germ from which the root 

 springs when it is sown. A bean is the best type 

 of the whole structure. An almond out of its 

 shell, a peach-kernel, and an apple-pip are also 

 clear and perfect, though varied types. 



