832 



FARxMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 6 



office of a root, anil tlie new-born root becoming 

 a sten), when their siiuafion was ir)vertec1." 



Witli respect to tlie more simple Ibrms of vege- 

 tation, each a.« lun<^i, lichens, and sea-weeds, this 

 matter is involved in greater mystery; some bota- 

 nists believing them to be produced by a sort of 

 equivocal generation. In their opinion, there is a 

 common vegetable matter, consisting ol" sinifjle 

 globular cellules, cachol' vviiich is possessed ol'ihe 

 vital principle, and cnpable of growing into a new 

 plant, Cut whilst they allow to these cellules the 

 power of growing into new plants, liiey contend 

 that the particular s[)ecies of plant into vvhicli any 

 one of them shall grow, is determined, not by any 

 thing in the cellule itself, but by the particular 

 circumstances in which they are developed; "that 

 such cellules, if called into life upon a bare wall, 

 become lichens; in adark cellar, fungi; in the skin 

 of a plant, parasites, and in water, confervcR'^ or 

 sea-weeds. 



In favor of this opinion such arguments as 

 the Ibllowing are adduced. That a conferva is 

 never found in any other medium than water, and 

 a lichen only in air. Many forms of matter, it is 

 said, nnilormly produce the same species of plant; 

 for example, decayed cheese, which has always the 

 same blue mould, or ILingus. The parasites which 

 grow upon the rose, and many other plants, are 

 always confined to particular species, and some- 

 times to particular organs, those of the bark 

 not being always the same as those of iho leaves. 

 If one of these filants is examined microscopical- 

 ly, it will generally be found a mere mass of cel- 

 lules, exactly like the spores or reproductive cel- 

 lules. It is lurther asserted, that the power of re- 

 production is not confined to the spores, but exists 

 in all the cells of which these plants are composed. 

 "If we add to these considerations, the singular 

 fact, that man holds, as it were, in his hands, the 

 power of creating these things at will — at least in 

 the case of the common mushroom, which will al- 

 ways be produced by a mixture of decayed and 

 earthy matter — it cannot be denied that a strong 

 prima facie case is made out by those who doubt 

 the specific power of reproduction in the spores of 

 (he lower tribes of plants," 



In answer to these arguments it is nrged, by 

 those who liold a ditterent opinion, that it is by no 

 means certain that all these statements are true as 

 matters of facts. The imperfection ol' our means 

 of observation may lead us to confound forms of 

 matter which are essentially different ; and also, 

 to separate lijinis of matter whch are essentially 

 the same. It has lately been shown, that many 

 of the so-called parasites are nothing more than 

 morbid conditions of the cuticle of plants ; and 

 moreover that the separation of the different or- 

 ders of these plants into species, is in very many 

 cases, erroneous. As to the assertion that the 

 power of reproduction is possessed by other parts 

 of the plant besides the spores, it is plain that no 

 certain information can be obtained respectintrthis 

 matter, unless some way oi" effecting a perfect 

 separation of the spores fi-om the part experi- 

 mented on, can first be devised, and no one pre- 

 tends to have discovered such a way as yet. On 

 this suh|ecl. Prof. Lindley remarks "surely it is 

 more philosophical, more conlbrmable tt) what we 

 know, to ascribe these phenomena to myriads of 

 microscopic spores, floating in the atmosphere, and 

 c|isperscd by currents of air wherever that air can 



penetrate; and those who are practically acquainted 

 with the nature of spores will be the least likely to 

 question the probability of this; for they best 

 know how inconceivably minute, and how mfi- 

 nitely numerous these spores are. Even the most 

 common observer may form some notion of the 

 fact, from the calculation that millions must be 

 contained in a single puff-ball ; and that many 

 hundreds of these reproductive organs, are emit- 

 ted by every microscopic head of the common blue 

 mould of cheese. Let us not then be led astray, 

 by specious theories and imaginary tiicts concern- 

 ing bodies so liir beyond the cognizance of our 

 senses ; but in the absence of demonstrative evi- 

 dence to the contrary, fet us believe that the great 

 author of nature is consistent with himself in all 

 his works, and has taken care to enable the most 

 humble liingus to be multiplied by means as cer- 

 tain and unchangeable, as is provided for the state- 

 liest oak of the fijres*. We may rest assured, for 

 all philosophj', and all observation, and all reason 

 prove it, that there is no such thing in nature as 

 blind chance; but that all things have been care- 

 fully and wisely designed, with reference to the 

 particular circumstances in which they exist." 



Chap. XIV. 



GERMINATTON, CIIKMICAL CHANGES WHICH 

 TAKE PLACE. CIRCUMSTANCES FAVORABLE 

 TO GERMINATION. CIRCUMSTANCES FAVOR- 

 ABLE TO THE PRESERVATION OF SEED. 

 BIATURATION Ot FRUIT. 



Germination is the process by which a new plant 

 originates from the seed. The phenomena which 

 are presented during germination may be divided 

 into physical and chemical. The physical phe- 

 nomena have been already adverted to. The 

 most important of them are, the production and 

 developement of the young radicle downvvard, and 

 the extrication of the plumule and its develope- 

 ment in the air. The chemical phenomena we will 

 now examine more particularly, for the purpose of 

 ascertaining what circumstances are fiivorable, 

 and what unfavorable to germination. The change 

 which is produced in bailey {hordeuni) by the pro- 

 cess of malting, is nothing more nor less than the 

 germination of the barley. From an analysis of 

 malted and nnmalted barley made by Proust, their 

 composition is as follows : 



One hundred parts of barley of malt 



Contain of resin 1 1 



" gum 4 15 



" sugar 5 15 



" gluten 3 1 



" starch 32 5Q 



fa proximate"! 



u I I • I principle pe- \ ^-r 

 " hordein-^ ' ,. ' ,' >o5 

 j culiartobar- 



Uey, J 



From an inspection of the results of this analysis, 



it will be seen that the principal chemical change 



which takes place, during the germination of the 



seed, consists in the conversion of hordein into 



starch, gum, and sugar, so that from an insoluble 



material, f for hordein is insoluble in water,) which 



could not in that state be applied to the use of th9 



young plant, two soluble and highly nutricioqa 



12 



