FORMATION OF SEEDS. 
34 
Cotyledon es 
increase in 
number. 
Formation of 
the buds of 
She next year, 
state 3 but no sooner do t he juices of the stamen and pistil meet 
and touch this vessel, than the corculum begins to grow, and 
its progress from that moment is rapid. The next process is the 
flowing of the juices of the nectary, which form various tempo- 
rary vessels, running into the seed, w hile they still continue 
joined to the flowers ; but, as soon as divided from it, the nou- 
rishing vessels, already thoroughly filled, enter the seeds from 
the bark, and form, with a part of the interior before composed, 
a milk to support the young plant. Then the cotyledones 
begin to grow ; but, so far are hey from being capable of 
affording aliment to the embryo, that they themselves require 
more nutrition than any other part of the plant 3 nor would 
they, in case of bestowing nutriment, fail to decrease, as the 
spot in the seed does, which, from yielding so much matter, be- 
comes a circular vacancy ; w hereas, the cotyledones are pecu- 
liarly plump and thick to the last moment. But it is certainly 
g mistake to suppose they nourish rhe embryo, for as long as the 
seed defers opening, (on account of cold, or any other cause), 
the cotyledones increase in number 5 in a walnut I have found 
from three to nine, and though, because lying in a case, in 
which the two projecting ones alone can appear, it has been 
thought to have only two, yet if the box is opened, many more 
may he seen attached to it, and growing from it. No one 
could admire Jessieu’s plan more than myself 3 it had, indeed, 
but one fault, — the not being true. When the cotyledones are 
completed, the embryo strong and firm, and the heart tho- 
roughly arranged, the radicle, or rather the root, begins to 
grow, but not till after the seed is again placed in the ground. 
This addition, by overfilling the seed, quickly bursts it at the 
top, and the root shoots out, turning downwards, endeavours to 
reach the earth, which it quickly does ; while the embryo 
coming for^th at the same place in the seed, rises into a stalk, 
and developes its leaves 3 then the flower bud of the next year 
begins again to form on the line of life, and when the flow of 
the sap has taken place, lodged the seeds in the new buds, 
where they will remain the winter, and the flowers of the pre- 
sent year have expanded 3 the stem begins to prepare for the 
shoot of the next year, by the formation of those screws in 
which the buds of the ensuing season take refuge, and remain 
their allotted time, each in its cradle. The screw forms one shoot 
between 
