BOOK I. 



OF THE PRINCIPAL CIRCUMSTANCES CONNECTED 

 WITH VEGETABLE LIFE "WHICH ILLUSTRATE THE 

 OPERATIONS OF GARDENING. 



7. A plant is a living body composed of an irrita- 

 ble, elastic, hygrometrical matter, called tissue. It is 

 fixed to the earth by roots, and it elevates into the 

 air a stem bearing leaves, flowers, and fruit. It has 

 no power of motion except when it is acted upon by 

 wind or other external forces ; it is therefore peculiar- 

 ly susceptible of injury or benefit from the accidental 

 circumstances that may surround it ; and, having no 

 free agency, it is above all other created beings suited 

 to acknowledge the power of man. 



8. In order to turn this power to account, it is ne- 

 cessary to study the manner of life which is peculiar 

 to the vegetable kingdom, and to ascertain what the 

 laws are by which the numerous actions essential to 

 the existence of a plant are regulated. It is, more- 

 over, requisite that the causes which modify those ac- 

 tions, either by increasing or diminishing their force, 

 should be understood. 



9. The vital actions of plants have so little resem- 

 blance to those of animals, that we are unable to ap- 

 preciate their nature, in even the smallest degree, by 

 a reference to our own sensations, or to any know- 

 ledge we may possess of animal functions. Nor, 



