now PLANTS (iKoW I'HOM TIIK SKFD. 



17 



low, nuiiy 

 plaiitlet 



X 



in the 



pair of 

 and 4). 



<,'rows» 

 th, was 

 it is, in 



differ- 



vucos in tliP pni'tirnlars. Wliil** tin* sanu' kind of plant always ^tows in fxartly 

 tli<> same wav. dilVfrrnt kinds dilVcr almost a.s mnch at thr Ix'u'itininL' as tli«'vdo 

 afterwards. 'l'\\r ^wnt variety which we ol>st'ive amoii<j the ht-ilts and shinhs 

 and trees arenn<l tis— in foli:i;Lfe, flower, fruit, atid everytliiii;,' ;:ives t) vej;eta- 

 tion one of its ^'reatest charms. We shouM soon tii-e of plants or Ihtwers madij 

 all aftrr one exact pattern, however lieaut iful. We enjoy variety. Hut the Itota- 

 nist linds ii hi^dier intefc>t in all these dilVei-enct's than any one cls«\ hccausc ho 

 discerns one simple plan rnnidnir throii^di all this tliversity, and everywhere vv- 

 jteated in dilVeicnt forms, lie sees that in every plant thert- is rout ;;rowiri^'tlown- 

 wanls, t'onnet'tinif the ve;retaMe with the soil ; stem ii>in'.; into the li;Lrht and air, 

 ami hearing; leaves at rei^ndar places, nixl then hlossoms, juid that the pai'ts of one 

 kiml of hlossom answer to those of another, oidy ditVeriuLr in shape ; and he de- 

 ii;.'hts ill ohservin^' how the tei.s of thousands of kimls df plants all harmoni.so 

 with each othei'. like the parts of concerteil music plainly showin;.; that they 

 wt'i'c all contrived, a-; pai'ts of one system, l>y one l)i\ine Miinl. 

 .^ ^<S. So in the iie:,Mnnin;.', i:i tlie i^'rowth of plants from the seed, alihoUi,di the 



ijeneral plan is the same in all, the variations ar.' ma;iy and <,Meit. The plan is 

 wi'U shown in the two see Ilin,' plants whi<'li have served for illustration. )iamely, 

 the Moinin'./-( dory and the Maple. Let us now noti/e some <>!' the v.ariat ions, as 

 e.xhiltited in a few \cvy common j. hints. .\ i,Mcaf deal may he learned from tho 

 commonest plants, if we will only ojien our eyes to see them, ;in<l "consider how 

 they ,Lrr.>w," and \\ hy they ditVei- in the w.iy they do. 'lake, for instance, 



.i9. The BeiU. S. »;ik a hean in warm water if a fresh one is not to he had) 

 and remove the co;its. 'I'lie whole kermd consists 

 of an emiiryo, as seen in i''i;i. ]2. And almost 

 the whole hulk of this cinhryo consists of two 

 thick pieces, c, c, winch are the cotyledons or 

 seeddeaves. We may make out the pi m of the 

 whole thing hetter hy spreading these tliick seed- 

 leaves wide open, as in Fig. 35. Here the two 

 thick seeddeaves are seen from the inside, r, c; 

 they are connected with the up[ter end of a stemlet, which is the radicle, r; and 

 ahove this already shows the hud or plumule, />. 



40. So the emhrvo of the Bean is the same in ]»lan as that of the Maple (Fig. 

 27), only the stemlet is much shorter in proportion, and the seed-leaves very 

 much larger and thicker. What is the reason of this difference ? 



c 32 c 



