KIDD’S OWN JOURNAL. 

‘ WS aa aa ea STEN 
71 
a 
former—we may pay a little attention to cell 
development. 
The rapidity with which cells are formed 
is truly surprising. A puff-ball which in the 
evening was less than a pigeon’s egg In size, 
in the morning looks like a gigantic dumpling. 
Lindley estimates that the cells must in this 
instance have been produced at the rate of 
sixty millions per minute. Let us try to 
understand how this is done,—but yet let us 
not be deceived; we are entering on an almost 
hopeless task. Scarcely one among the array 
of learned physiologists who have investigated 
the subject, has been able to coincide with 
another, and— 
Who shall decide when doctors disagree ? 
The only safe way in a case like the present 
is to choose a middle path, and so escape the 
quicksands in which so many investigators 
seem lost. Leaving Schleiden, Mohl, Hentrey, 
and half-a-dozen more, to explain the by-no- 
means evident peculiarities of their individual 
theories, we adopt a little of what appertains 
to all. We believe, then, that in cells, or in 
spaces between cells, there exists a quantity of 
mucilaginous matter; at first thin and trans- 
parent, which at length assumes a firmer 
consistency and exhibits in its mass a number 
of little spaces resembling air-bubbles; that 
these gradually enlarge, and become enveloped 
by a membrane formed from the thickened 
mucilaginous fluid. We also believe that this 
is the perfect cell. This cell has generally 
in its interior a little transparent body known 
as a nucleus; but whether this internal body 
has any part to perform in the gathering of 
the cell wall, or is formed after its full develop- 
ment, is a knotty point. This development 
from a mucilaginous fluid, may take place 
within cells already formed, so that one may 
give birth to hundreds. And this may 
account for the rapid growth of many plants, 
even in our own country, as the hop; but 
more especially in the tropics. Another 
means of cell-reproduction, is as follows :— 
The cell wall is internally lined by a mucila- 
ginous covering ; this inside wall, if we may 
so term it, has the power of contracting in 
the middle, and finally of separating, so as to 
form two soft bladder-like bodies, which, like 
the first, contract, and divide into two,—so 
that we have within the fully-formed cell, 
four partially developed. These gradually 
increase in size and consistency, till they at 
length become too big for the distended walls 
of the parent, which they burst, and then 
assume the functions of cells proper; them- 
selves to produce others, which in their turn 
will destroy them, 
In connection with the growth of plants, 
there is yet another subject which claims a 
little attention, viz., the rise of the sap. It 
is well known that a great portion of the! 

fluid which traverses the vegetable structure 
passes through the cells. Now, as these 
seldom present any opening, it may be proper 
to inquire how it is that fluids can pass fromthe 
one vesicle to the other? It is a known fact 
that everything in nature tends to an equality. 
The light has scarcely left the god of day, 
when it is diffused over our dark world,—the 
sound of Jove’s artillery travels on the wind’s 
wings, until it is lost. The heat generated 
by combustion becomes actually lost in dif: 
fusion; and the noxious vapors which rise, 
like a pestilence, from our manufacturing 
towns, are quickly spread from pole to pole. 
Heat, light, electricity, sound, and gases, all 
tend to universal diffusion, z.e. equality,— 
and this law holds good as well with liquids, 
If two liquids, of different densities, say 
syrup and water, are separated by any animal 
or vegetable membrane, a force comes into 
operation which compels the denser to pass 
to the rarer, and vice versa, until they have 
both reached the same density. 
Now the sap in the cells of the leaf has 
parted with a great portion of its moisture, 
while that further down is still the same ; the 
result is that this force comes into play, 
forcing the less dense sap up to that position 
where it is brought under the influence of 
solar heat and light, and rendered fit for the 
nourishment of the vegetable structure. 
D. 

FIRST LOVE. 
A REMINISCENCE. 

We find the following exquisite pencilling 
in Collins’s “‘ Basil.” There are some few 
of us who can recognise the picture as “a 
sketch from life.” We have ourself seen 
that “little rim of delicate white lace,” that 
“lovely, dusky throat,” and those “simple 
little ornaments,”—all so mutely, so sweetly 
eloquent to the loving heart ! 
She put down her veil again immediately. Her 
lips moved involuntarily as she lowered it. I 
thought I could see, through the lace, that the 
slight movement ripened toa smile. Still there 
was enough left to look on,—enough to charm. 
There was the little rim of delicate white lace, 
encircling the lovely, dusky throat. There was 
the figure visible, where the shawl had fallen open 
—slender, but already well developed in its slen- 
derness, and exquisitely supple. There was the 
waist, naturally low, and left to its natural place, 
and natural size. There were the little millinery 
and jewellery ornaments that she wore—simple 
and common-place enough in themselves—yet each 
a beauty, each a treasure, on her. There was all 
this to behold, all this to dwell on, in spite of the 
veil. 
The veil! how little of the woman does it hide, 
when the man really loves her! 


