INTRODUCTORY, 
Foduced by minute dust-like ising called spores,—Flowerless 
“yptogamous plants. As cryptogamous plants do not often donee as 
ro ds an their sat is rather difficult, they are left out of con- 
ty ideration in the prese ork. 
os P alotatn ng plants hive two kinds of organs; those parts which are 
in sustaining the life and growth of the plant,— Organs of 
Ve, eal and those which provide for its perpetuation by means of 
eee rgans of R Prgdate 
iby 
is softened, a 
open, the young plant will be found within, though in a 
much less developed state. The seed alwa ways contains within it the 
young plant, more or less devel oped, either lying straight in the seed or 
variously coiled or folded up ; ;_ this is called the Embryo. B the influ- 
ence of the warmth an 
germination. ‘Che parts of the embryo are ; Ist, the little stem, 
called the Radicle and 2d, the leaves which in the Radish, Bean, &c., first 
Coviatnn above e ground and are usually called Seed-leaves, these are the 
between them there is a little bud (which is not always to 
bl ae in the embryo, but appears soon after it begins to grow), the 
Plumule. In germination the i elongates, the lower end—what- 
i, 
seed may be placed in—pus lf downward 
into the earth, and its upper ring the seed-leaves is raised to the 
light and air. That portion of the radicle which goes downward forms 
or Descending Axis, ich rises above the surface of the 
Tn the instances quoted as "staon el Bean and bey ones 
ryo is seed-leaves, in the Bean 
especially, are ni arene ts mie routed ¢ filled with a supply of 
food which nourishes the young plant mt ite can form roots and draw 
sustenance from the soil. In many seeds, as the Pea, Acorn, &c., the 
cotyledons are very much distended and do hot rise to the surface, but 
i rotrude. 
7. In many seeds the embryo, instead of containing the food for its 
early growth within ‘eu cotyledons, has a m 
Surrounding it, called Albumen. The emibeye is placed sometimes in the 
centre of th albumen—or. at one side, or sometimes co 
