GROWTH 21 



PAET I 



THE LIFE HISTOEY OF CULTIVATED PLANTS 



From a gardening point of view cultivated plants may be said to be 

 constructed on a common plan, although there is a vast variation in 

 details. Speaking generally, most plants are characterised by having 

 Seeds, Eoots, Stems, Leaves, Flovyers, and Fruit, and may be annual or 

 biennial herbs, or herbaceous or vyoody perennial plants. 



Whatever group they belong to, their corresponding parts are 

 constructed on the same principle and perform the same functions. 



As the good cultivation of plants depends to a very large extent 

 upon a more or less intimate knowledge of their nature, it may be 

 useful if a brief account is given of the various organs mentioned 

 above. 



GROWTH OF PLANTS 



Perhaps one of the first things people notice about plants is that 

 they grow. Plants, somewhat like human beings and animals, are 

 living objects, and are affected in much the same way by heat, cold, 

 moisture &c. They also are to be found in all parts of the world, 

 and according to the climate in which they grow are looked upon as 

 being more or less hardy or tender. They pass from what may be 

 called the infant or seedling stage to maturity, and then more or less 

 slowly or quickly begin to decay and ultimately die. They have a 

 complete cycle of existence, and this cycle is completed by some in a 

 much shorter time than others. Annuals and biennials for example 

 complete their cycle of existence in one or two years, but others like 

 herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs &c., exist for several years 

 before the individual becomes exhausted. And yet while an individual 

 plant may pass from the seedling stage to death in one or more years, 

 according to its nature, as a rule it makes provision for reproducing 

 itself again before actually dying. This process of reproduction is 

 naturally carried on by means of seeds. Some plants like annuals and 

 biennials bear only one crop of seeds and then die. Plants with these 

 characteristics — that fruit only once— are said to be monoearpic. 



