49 



CHAPTER VIT. 



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THE CELLULAR CONSTRUCTION OF PLANTS. 



Prodigious Variety of Plants The Vegetable Cell Its Metamorphoses- Its 

 Multiplication Rapid Growth of the Lower Plants The Mushrooms The 

 "Wonderful Products of the Vegetable Cell Magnificence of the Vegetable 

 World. 



THE immense variety of plants which decks the surface of our 

 globe is one of the great wonders of creation. Wherever we 

 wander, on the margin of the ocean or on the bleak and weather- 

 beaten mountains, new forms of vegetation constantly attract 

 our attention. 



Skirting the shores, the algre wave their fronds in the restless 

 waters, while the lichens cover the naked rocks of the highlands 

 with their thin and lively-coloured patches. The rivers and 

 lakes abound with green filaments; mould spreads over putrefy- 

 ing organic substances ; wood crumbles into dust ; the potato, 

 the grape, are decomposed ; and all these phenomena result 

 from the development and rapid multiplication of microscopical 

 plants. 



A cushion of soft velvet decks the bark of ancient trees, grey 

 beards hang from their boughs, and parasitical climbers feed 

 upon their -juices. Flowers of every form and colour adorn the 

 meadows, clothe the brown heaths with warmer tints, bloom 

 out of ruins, and cover even the dark morass with a garb of 

 beauty. 



With every change of climate and soil, with every degree of 

 latitude, nay, from mile to mile, new plants make their appear- 

 ance. The mountain-sides and the deep valleys have their 

 characteristic vegetation, and sand, granite, chalk, and clay, all 

 nourish different herbs and trees. 



The plants exhibit an amazing variety, not only in their 



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