No. 129.] 403 



disposed in peculiar network ; the upper surface having no com- 

 munication whatever with the lower. The leaves nourish the 

 plant from vapors circulating in the atmosphere. It is by them • 

 also that it breathes out and also throws off matter useless to its 

 nutrition. As to the flowers, he regarded them as the seat of 

 sex. The double flowers are sterile. He pointed out perfectly 

 the flowers placed below the ovary, from those placed above it. 

 Fruits succeed their flowers, with the exception of the fig, which 

 grows without any. He also describes the methods for hastening 

 the ripening of fruits or having them early, that one would sup- 

 pose it was written yesterday. 



He describes the internal structure of plants, as being similar 

 to those of animals — using the same terms. The bark is the 

 outer skin. In herbaceous plants there is but one epidermis 

 which covers the cellular tissue more or less thick, and almost 

 always succulent ; that of ligneous plants is properly called bark, 

 sometimes smooth, or cracked and rough. The bark is very 

 important to the life of the plant — it is there that the nourishing 

 sap is elaborated, and where all the regenerating power of lig- 

 neous vegetables is united. 



The bark of the grape vine is composed of fibres; especially 

 old vines, contain no parenchyma, and is readily detached from 

 the inner tender bark when the vine is beginning to flower. A 

 like decortication is naturally effected annually on the apple and 

 the plum trees. The body of a plant is composed of fibrous 

 capillary tubes, by means of which the absorbtion of nourishing 

 juices and the nutrition of leaves are effected. These tubes con- 

 tain an assemblage of vessels; these fibrous tubes may be traced 

 even in the flowers and in the fruits. Eesides these fibrous 

 bodies, the plant has larger and thicker vessels, which he called 

 veins, which conduct the sap. They are very apparent in the 

 pine tree, but are absent in some plants. They can be traced in 

 the leaves and flowers. Between the fibres and the sap vessels 

 is the parenchyma (he calls it caps — flesh) which is a matter 

 spread throughout all parts of the plant, abounds in the fruits. 



