Anatomy of the Vine. 261 



vessels, lying between the medulla and the vessels extending 

 into the claws : this white substance consists of close cellular 

 vessels ; it is formed expressly to fill up the vacancies, that 

 would otherwise take place, when the spiral vessels, ascend- 

 ing sap-vessels, the liber, and the vascular vessels are drawn 

 outwards from the medulla, during the growth of the other 

 divisions of the joint, which are on each side of it. Perhaps 

 by referring to Jigs. 46. and 49. it will further assist what I am 

 anxious to explain. 



Fig. 46. represents the liber f closely connected in its early 

 state of formation to the medulla sheath, in which are the 

 spiral vessels b. 



; Fig. 49. r t are two common divisions, as before described, 

 one on each side of the division v u s. u represents the vessels 

 of a claw, being those of a division, and they are partly pro- 

 truded beyond the divisions of the joint ; v u the close cellular 

 vessels, which fill up the space between the two divisions of r 

 and t, and unite them firmly together throughout their whole 

 length, which otherwise would have been left a vacant space. 



Although it is very difficult to distinguish the vessels of a 

 claw, when so closely connected together, as they are supposed 

 to be in so small a space, yet I have made an ideal represent- 

 ation of them in the figure (49.), between u and s. Those 

 nearest to u are the spiral vessels ; the small holes, the ascend- 

 ing sap-vessels ; the five bars, the liber ; the hexagonal-shaped, 

 the vascular vessels. 



On the former cutting you will have observed a bar at the 

 joint quite across the medulla ; in its early state it consisted 

 of extended cellular vessels, and they had at that time a free 

 communication with the medulla of the collets, both above and 

 below; but afterwards these vessels become more compact, 

 and then consist entirely of close cellular vessels; part of the 

 bar extends to the base of the bud, forming an excellent ful- 

 crum for the extending shoot of such bud to issue from next 

 spring. Had the joint been deficient of this bar, to unite the 

 two sides of the shoot together, they might split asunder ; 

 as the upper part of one is frequently suspended by a tendril, 

 as in Jig. 53. at m, when the lower side has attached to it a 

 long shoot loaded with one or two heavy bunches of grapes. 

 Even in this tendril it is delightful to follow nature : for it is 

 composed of permanent materials, similar to the collets; and 

 as the shoot becomes heavier, the ligneous parts of it become 

 larger and stronger. 



The silver grain in the oak, as it is commonly called, is 

 nothing but the close cellular texture, lying between its divi- 

 sions : the fact may be proved, by removing the outward 

 r. -S3 



