The Museum Gazette 



A stem which is before us measures twenty-four inches, 

 of which three are taken up by the flower-scape, more than 

 four by the root-end, and the rest by the middle stem. The 

 whole is so light that when it is balanced on the finger it is 

 impossible to appreciate any weight. Now in spring this stem 

 was solid, fleshy and heavy, and so also were the leaves. 

 Indeed, up to a fortnight ago the stem was still succulent and 

 was attached below to the bulb. The death and withering 

 has been accomplished slowly. It began two months ago 

 with the leaves, next followed the stem downwards from the 

 top. It has only just been completed. 



We may enquire with interest whether it would have been 

 the same thing to the plant if the leaves and stem had been 

 cut away as soon as the flowers had withered. By no means. 

 The elaborated sap of these structures has passed downwards 

 into the bulb and has served for its nourishment. It would 

 have been to the detriment of the bulb if the process had been 

 shortened by a single day. It was when this retirement of 

 the sap was complete and the whole stem quite dead that the 

 underground detachment was completed. Thus the plant may 

 be deemed to have a sort of once-a-year circulation of sap. 

 In the spring its growing-points — first of leaves and soon 

 afterwards of flower-stem and flowers — drew up from the bulb 

 the fluids needful for their development. Their function (seed- 

 producing) being accomplished, their power of attraction came 

 to an end, and the somewhat exhausted bulb in turn sets up 

 its claim and drew downwards what it had before so liberally 

 supplied. It withered the leaves first and next the flower- 

 stem by its competitive attractions for the juices. It is now 

 plump and succulent, and they are dead. 



The Growth of the Yew-berry. 

 It must not be supposed that there is any identity as regards 

 structure (homology) between the acorn-cup and that of the 

 yew-berry. The cup of red wax which finally embeds the 



