510 THE UNIVERSE. 



and India. Suspended above tlie water by their bent 

 branches, often quite covered with oysters, these trees let 

 drop through their foliage long roots of embryos which 

 have germinated in the fruit. These, jDcrfectly adapted to 

 the work they have before them, are like little pointed clubs, 

 and have attained a length of from three to four decimetres 

 (ten to fourteen inches) at the time when they are to fall 

 into the water; so that they sink deep into the mud which 

 encircles the mother plant and form a family group around 

 her. 



Germination, which is really vegetable suckling, is only 

 the development of the embryo up to the fall of the coty- 

 ledons. 



This act is almost always accomplished in the ground; 

 it is only aquatic plants which effect it under Avater. Some 

 parasites, however, germinate on the plants or animals 

 on the surface of Avhich we find them. This occurs in the 

 microscopic Fungi which attack our hair and beard, and 

 bring on most harassing diseases, tetters, tinese, &c., as the 

 labours of the microscopists of our day have placed be- 

 yond a doubt. Similar to these are certain parasitic plants, 

 which are never found except upon certain insects. 



At other times germination takes place under very 

 strange conditions. Vandermonde saw children in v/hose 

 noses peas had germinated from having been imprudently 

 introduced. Another physician, Br^ra, mentions having 

 opened the body of a soldier whose stomach was filled 

 with barley which was developing itself there. 



There are two classes of actions to be considered in 

 germination : physiological phenomena, and chemical phe- 

 nomena. 



Let us first of all examine the former, we can discuss 

 the others farther on. So soon as ever the seed is con- 



