155 



with it during the winter, till it is brought out by the 

 htat of the summer. The most simple plants bear a 

 bud, which contains a seed of an oval figure. We 

 may easily distinguish from the flower itself, the 

 leaves of the covering which involves the bud* From 

 these arise the leaves of the (lower, serving for the 

 last concoction of the sap, in which are both woody 

 and spiral fibres, with various rows of utricles. In 

 the middle of flowers, filaments and little pillars arise, 

 whose extremities are covered with a kind of dust. 

 These pillars are hollow, and have vesicles full of 

 liquor, and the rudiments of seeds, which gradually 

 grow and harden. 



That dust is of two kinds, male and female. The 

 male dust is formed in the top of the fiiaments, where 

 when it is ripe, it bursts its cases and is split on the 

 head of the pillars, and thence conveyed to the utricle 

 or matrix thereof, to impregnate the female dust con- 

 tained therein. 



Tnis dust in any one plant being viewed with a 

 microscope, every particle is of the same size and 

 figure. But-in different plants, the colour, size, and 

 figure are widely different* In some it is clear- and 

 tran par* nt, as crystal ; in others white and opake ; 

 in some blue, purple or red, and in others flesh co- 

 loured. Aiid its colour varies in the* same species, 

 suppose tulips, according to the colour of the tlower. 



The most general figure is the oval, more or less 

 sharp at the end*, with one or more furrows running 

 lengthways. But the seeds of Melilot are cylin- 

 ders. Those of the Pansy are prisms, with four ir- 

 regular sides. Oihers represent two chrystai globules 

 fastened together. Those of the jouquille are in the form 

 of a kidney. But indeed the varieties are not pos- 

 sible to be numbered. Tue office of thj blossom is 

 parUy to protect, partly to <iraw nourishment to the 

 e'iibryo, fr if or seed. Tue Gourd, Pumkin, Melon, 

 (jucumber, a:d mo^t bearing trees, have both male 

 a nd female blossoms on the baii;e plait. Male bios- 

 oms (usually called cai-bkm&) may be distinguished 



