92 THE PALM-STEM. 



direction to repair to a leaf, it sends off usually one, more 

 rarely two or three, branches, which ascend vertically 

 upward, and probably run to leaves situated higher up. 

 This is the only example of ramification of a fibre which 

 Mirbel met with in the Date-palm. 



The preceding, Mirbel continues, is not at all in con- 

 tradiction to my statements ; but this is not the case with 

 the circumstance that the lower ends of the precursors 

 do not run in a vertical direction down the stem, but 

 repair to the side of the stem opposite to the leaf, whence 

 it results that all the precursors which pass to each one 

 of the turns of the leaf-spiral, cross in the central bundle, 

 and form two cones connected at their apices one erect, 

 the other reversed. Whether the direction in which these 

 fibres diverge from the straight line is the same in all, 

 Mirbel does not express ; nor does he make any mention 

 of the fact, that Meneghini devoted especial attention to 

 this point, or of the explanation of it given by that author. 

 From his very laconic treatment of this point, which he 

 speaks of as the most important difference between our 

 works, Mirbel gives me no opportunity of making an 

 accurate acquaintance with and discussing his views ; for 

 I must confess that it is not clear to me, from his treatise, 

 how and why he distinguishes the fibres he calls precur- 

 sors from the other developed vessels, and that I know 

 nothing of them. 



