CHAPTER VII 



THE MICROSCOPE AND PLANT LIFE 



THE science of botany consists of many 

 branches and, in most of them, the micro- 

 scope is the scientist's constant aid. The 

 study of bacteria, really a branch of botany, we have 

 dealt with in another chapter, so here we will omit 

 these interesting though lowly plants. By far the 

 number of botanical objects for the microscope consist 

 of sections — exceedingly thin slices of whatever por- 

 tion of the plant is being examined, cut either with a 

 sharp razor or a special instrument called a micro- 

 tome. Section cutting, though not a difficult accom- 

 plishment, requires a considerable amount of practice 

 and cannot be learned from a book; all our descrip- 

 tions, therefore, will be confined to objects from the 

 plant world which may be studied without the assist- 

 ance of razor or microtome. 



One cannot help being struck with the fact that 

 ?reen is the prevailing colour among plants and the 

 -eason is not far to seek. If we take a cabbage leaf 

 md carefully tear off the skin, we shall find green 



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