A Chapter to Study. 



No attempt has been made in the following chapter to ac- 

 quaint the student with every term that it is possible to use in 

 describing the organs of a plant ; but enough have been ex- 

 plained and used throughout the book to give a comprehensive 

 vocabulary of the subject and to lead one up to the enjoyment 

 of an altogether scientific work on botany. 



The existence of the plant and that of the animal are so 

 closely linked together that it would be rather difficult to pro- 

 phesy the fate of one were the other to withdraw itself from 

 the earth. It is a pleasure to see that they seldom encroach 

 upon each other's mission in life ; but are generously helpful 

 by the most amicable arrangements. 



The plants absorb from the atmosphere carbonic-acid gas, 

 which, unless this were so, would become abundant in the air 

 and be injurious to animal life. They exhale oxygen, which is 

 the animal's necessary food. The opposite course is pursued 

 by animals. They inhale oxygen and exhale carbonic-acid gas. 

 In this way they return the plants' compliment : by taking from 

 them what they do not want and giving them as food what they 

 do want. 



Again, plants are almost altogether dependent upon animal 

 life to perform for them the service of cross-fertilization, page 

 7. The birds, the butterflies and Master Bee and his family 

 are all ceaselessly busy as their messengers. But there is 

 nothing mean about the flowers. In return, they are quite 

 aware of, and cater to, the tastes of all. When a bird carries 

 the seeds of a flower to some distant place and deposits them, it 

 is only a slight remuneration for the delicious luncheon of red 



