PLANTS. 233 



the plant which produces them. It is the swelling also of 

 this downy tuft within the seed-vessel, that seems to over- 

 come the resistance of its coats, and to open a passage for 

 the seed to escape. 



But the amslitution of seeds is still more admirable than 

 either their preservation or their dispersion. In the body 

 oi the seed of every species of plant, or nearly of every one, 

 provision is made for two grand purposes : first, for the 

 safety of the genu; secondly, for the temporary support ol 

 the future plant. The sprout, as folded up in the seed, is 

 delicate and brittle beyond any other substance. It cannot 

 be touched without being broken. Yet in beans, pease, 

 grass-seeds, grain, fruits, it is so fenced on all sides, so shu( 

 up and protected, that while the seed itself is rudely handled, 

 tossed into sacks, shovelled into heaps, the sacred particle, 

 the miniature plant, remains unhurt. It is wonderful how 

 long many kinds of seeds, by the help of their integuments, 

 and perhaps of their oils, stand out against decay. A grain 

 of mustard-seed has been known to lie in the earth for a 

 hundred years ; and as soon as it had acquired a favorable 

 situation, to shoot as vigorously as if just gathered from the 

 plant. Then as to the second point, the temporary support 

 of the future plant, the matter stands thus. In grain and 

 pulse, and kernels and pippins, the germ composes a very 

 small part of the seed. The rest consists of a nutritious 

 substance, from which the sprout draws its aliment for some 

 considerable time after it is put forth, namely, until the 

 fibres shot out from the other end of the seed are able to 

 imbibe juices from the earth in a sufhcient quantity for its 

 demand. It is owing to this constitution that we see seeds 

 sprout, and the sprouts make a considerable progress with- 

 out any earth at all. It is an economy also, in which we 

 remark a close analogy between the seeds of plants and the 

 eggs of animals. The same point is provided for in the 

 same manner in both. In the e^g, the residence of the liv- 

 ing principle, the cicatrix, forms a very minute part of tho 



