Anatomy of the Vine. q§$ 



to perform, when they will be conspicuously seen : — Cut the 

 surface of one quite smooth, then pass over part of it a brush 

 containing very little of the solution of the prussiate of potash, 

 then with silver blotting paper make it somewhat drier ; like- 

 wise pass another brush, with very little of the sulphate of iron 

 upon it, very quickly over where the first had been, when the 

 edges of the cellular texture will be distinctly seen by the blue 

 precipitate upon them. This operation I call typing, as the 

 edges of the vessels will be seen standing up, similar to letters 

 placed ready for printing. 



I am inclined to think the cellular vessels are the primitive 

 formed vessels of vegetation, and that all others, except the 

 spiral and ascending sap vessels, are only a modification of 

 them. The vessels of the liber are somewhat similar to them 

 in appearance, and I am almost certain that the cellular vessels 

 of the bark and those of the liber have a free communication 

 with each other ; but I have no hesitation in saying that the 

 fluid of the cellular vessels under the cuticle passes freely by 

 their contours or framework of their cells in either direction; 

 and I beg to refer you to Jig. 48. to assist in a further explan- 

 ation of them. We will suppose at d that some of the vessels 

 have been partially exhausted of their fluids, which will cause 

 those of a b c e f to supply such deficiency ; but should a 

 considerable quantity be required, then the greater supply 

 will be taken by those vessels from their cells. Had this 

 exhaustion taken place at a, then the fluid would have retro- 

 graded, and bed ef would have supplied the deficiency. 



A great deal of very valuable information might be acquired 

 by an accurate examination of the vessels of a potato ; for I 

 feel confident a considerable proportion of those brought to 

 market are deficient of a proper quantity of farinaceous fluid 

 in their cells, which is the essential ingredient for the support 

 of man. Every farmer well knows that the wheat in the ear 

 first goes into the watery state, and afterwards into the milky 

 state, but none of them would ever think of cutting such grain 

 until this milky fluid became well hardened. Yet many acres 

 of potatoes, from being planted late, are dug up, when their 

 cells contain but little farinaceous fluid ; nor can they possess 

 it until the plant itself is in a perfect state of maturity, and 

 this can only be acquired by early planting, which brings to 

 perfection the whole economy of the plant. 



Having described the alburnum, the liber, the ascending 

 sap and cellular vessels, I ought now to proceed with the 

 spiral and horizontal vessels, the cuticle, and those of the 

 leaf : but this would prevent my presenting to your notice, and 

 that of other scientific persons, some very interesting changes 

 that take place in the bark of the vine, apQut jthe jirsjt week m 



s 4 



