260 



Anatomy of the Vine. 



of starch, which indicates that the iodine has precipitated 

 the farinaceous fluid contained in those vessels : but the ex- 

 tended cellular vessels round the bundles of vascular texture 

 in the bark will be very little discoloured, which shows that 

 the latter have very little farinaceous fluid within them ; but 

 they contain the gallic acid, as the sulphate of iron has for- 

 merly proved. It is certainly very interesting to discover how 

 this fluid changes its qualities, while passing along the same 

 description of vessels in different parts of the vine. For in- 

 stance, in the extended cellular vessels round the bundles in 

 the bark, it consisted partly of gallic acid and farina in a state 

 of solution, as was indicated by the two tests of the sulphate 

 of iron and the tincture of iodine ; but in the close cellular 

 vessels, between the alburnum and round the points of the 

 divisions, and also in the extended cellular vessels of the me- 

 dulla, it consisted of the farinaceous fluid without any gallic 

 acid. s 



The cellular texture has 

 several very beneficial pro- 

 perties, such as healing 

 every internal wound and 

 filling up every vacancy, 

 as may be seen in Jig. 23. 

 in p. 130. of this volume: 

 the tenth bundle of vascu- 

 lar texture is there repre- 

 sented considerably en- 

 larged a little below the 

 joint, from having received 

 some injury, but it is heal- 

 ed by the growth of some 

 of the cellular vessels fill- 

 ing up the fracture with 

 living fibres. 



For further illustration 

 of the healing powers of 

 these vessels, I must beg 

 your cutting through one 

 of the lower joints of a 

 summer shoot, in a hori- 

 zontal direction, a little be- 

 low the part where the 

 claws protrude, at which 

 place you will perceive dis- 

 tinctly six smooth places, 

 consisting of close cellular 



