GERMINATION. 135 



means of attaining what at first may seem impossible. 

 In some the stems merely rise amongst others in an 

 irregular manner, as the bramble and the bitter sweet; 

 while in others they twine closely around the stronger 

 support, some from left to right with the sun, as the 

 hop : and others from right to left, or against the sun, 

 as the bind-weed and kidney-bean. It is singular, 

 that when those plants are forced to wind in a contrary 

 direction, it injures or kills them. 



Germination of Plants, with one Seed-lobe. 



There being considerable differences in the two 

 great classes of seeds having only one seed-lobe, and 

 having two or more seed-lobes, I shall give some 

 details of the progress of germination in each class ; 

 and for the first I shall select wheat, which has been 

 most minutely described by Malpighi, Poiteau, and 

 Yule. 



The grain of wheat, after being moistened for about 

 thirty hours, increases in size, and the sheath or enve- 

 lope of the radicle, from being fine, smooth, opaque, 

 and solid, becomes thick, downy, transparent, and 

 cellular ; and when the sheath bursts, there is seen a 

 main radicle, and a smaller one at each side. At the 

 same time, the gemlet may be observed, consisting of 

 several rolled leafits resting on the seed-lobe. When 

 the germination is a little farther advanced, a number 

 of very minute rootlets are seen springing from the 

 three radicles. 



The first day, according to Malpighi, the body of 

 the embryo is closely connected with the seed-lobe, 



