2 18 The Anatomy of Plants BOOKII 



lateral bundles, as distinct strands quite isolated from the 

 wood, or as a constituent of conjoint bundles in the pith. 



Phloem was also found to occur as definite islets in 

 woody areas or masses. 



The connexion of the very different arrangements of the 

 constituents of the stele in stem and root was the subject 

 of an inaugural dissertation at Zurich in 1876 by Goldsmith. 

 They were shown to be brought together in the hypocotyle- 

 donary portion of the axis. Gerard published an important 

 memoir on the same subject in 1881. The corresponding 

 relations in Ferns were investigated by Leclerc du Sablon 

 in 1890. 



The classification of the tissues upon a morphological 

 basis occupied, as we have seen, the thoughts of botanists 

 during the whole of the last century, and a certain success 

 was achieved during its later years. There was, however, 

 another movement which had its origin mainly among the 

 writers of Germany, which exercised a great influence upon 

 the current of thought not only there but almost uni- 

 versally. 



It originated with Schwendener's great treatise on the 

 physical and mechanical principles involved in the dis- 

 position of the hard parts of plants, which appeared in 

 1874. This was a most fascinating work, expounding 

 and explaining the ways in which the hard, woody, and 

 sclerotized parts of the structure are disposed in view of 

 needs caused by environment. It gave us for the first 

 time an adequate view 1 of the skeleton of plants and its 

 purpose, without, however, much regard to its phylogeny 

 or ontogeny. This may be regarded as the first advance 

 towards a physiological view of anatomy, which, whether 

 or no it may claim a scientific foundation, must always 

 possess the greatest importance from the biological point 

 of view. 



Schwendener's treatise was followed in 1884 by Haber- 



