( t46i ) 
In the Month cf November laft, two Gentlemen made me a 
Prefent of Surinam Oranges, and in the firft I open d I 
found eight snd thirty complcat Kernels, but in neither of 
two others could I meet with four gooJ Seeds 5 I opend 
fevcral Kernels of the firft Orange, one of which^furroand- 
ed with its Membrane, I caus'd to be drawn, as you will- 
fee in Fig- i . A B C D- 
When I had ftript one of thefc Kernels of the outmoft 
Membrane, I difcover'd th:t there lay a String under it, that 
causd a little protuberance in the firft Skin, rcprefcnied in 
the faid Figure by A B C, from which String, not only the 
^eed,but the Plant within it receives itsincreafcand nourifh- 
roent. Fig.2.E F fhews you the fame Seed feparated from its 
firft and hard Skin,vvhich is enly given to it, as I conceive for 
the defence of the inward parts 3 whereas Nuts, Almonds, 
Peach ftones, &c. are arm'd with ftronganJ thick Shells, F - 
G reprefents the aforefaid String,which 1 parted a little from 
the Seed itfelf, that I might render it the more vifible, and 
which String is not only joyn'd to the Seed at F, but ex- 
tends its fmall Veffels alfo thro the fecond Membrane from 
F towards E, thefcat of the Plant, and in order to its ncu- 
tilhment, but thofe VeffeU are fo exceeding fine and fmall, 
that they efcape the fight betore you trace them to their 
journeys end. 
Now we may certainly conclude that the faid String, 
does actually comprehend initsfelf as many diftindl: Veffels, 
as are to be found in the Orange- Tree when it is arrived to 
full maturity 5 for if all thefe Veflels were not in the young 
Plant whilft it lies involved in its Mother, the Kernels 
Womb, whence can they proceed afterwards ? but this is 
fo felf-cvident, and will be fo eafily granted me, that I 
need not fay more on that topic. 
Tho the faid String was very fmall, ycti was rcfolv'd to 
. try if I could give you a fight of the VelTels within it, and 
1 fucceeded feveral times, but not without a great deal o 
trouf 
