VEGETABLE STRUCTURE. 
127 
The office of thefe Radical Leaves is plainly the fame with that which 
the two Seed-Leaves originally performed ; to imbibe, and occafionally to 
difcharge humidity ; and to give room for thefe Veffels of the Conic Cluf- 
ters to elaborate their Juices. Thefe Juices feed the Plant ; and we fee 
accordingly when the Radical Leaves become more numerous, the Root 
quickly increafes in bignefs ; as it fwells, the original fkin burfts at the 
point * and falls down a part of the Root in two oblong Films. 
All this is for the feeding of the Root; for yet the Bud increafes 
fcarce at all. Its fhort rudiment of a Stalk becomes a little lengthened, as 
it fends off thefe numerous Leaves ; and they continue till the Root has 
acquired all its ftrength and fize. Then it takes the part of nourifhment 
upon itfelf : hitherto it has been fed, now it begins to feed ; and its Juices 
drawn from the earth, purfuing their courfe upwards, lengthen the Stalk, 
and raife the Bud. The Radical Leaves having performed their office, now 
decay ; and the Bud rifes to a perfedt Plant. 
The courfe of Nature in this great operation will be underftood with 
eafe, now we have feen it in the two leffer efforts of railing the Seed, and 
Radical Leaves. 
Upon the crown of the Root originally flood a perfedt Bud ; the fame 
Bud yet exifts, fcarce altered, except that it is raifed a quarter of an inch 
more upon a kind of Stalk. We do not fee this Stalk till we tear away 
the Leaves ; but it then fhews itfelf diftindt by its green colour. The 
Leaves are faded ; the Root draws a vafl: quantity of nourifhment, there is 
nothing to be fed by this but the Bud, with its fhort Stalk ; and this grows 
up therefore quickly. 
As it rifes it fends out fome Leaves, in the fame manner exadtly as thofe 
from the original bafe, which are now dead : but this is not all. The 
force of the Root is more than fufficient to this purpofe ; and at fome 
fmall height from the ground we fee in the bofom of each Leaf a new 
Bud : this is the rudiment of a branch, as that at the crown of the Root 
was of the main Stalk : and it has all the feven parts continued to it from, 
the Stalk, as the Stalk itfelf had them from the Root. Each of thefe as 
it rifes into a branch, will, in the fame manner, fend out its Leaves, and. 
Buds in their bofoms without end. Any one of thefe Buds may be fepa-- 
rated from the Stalk, and with good care raifed to an entire Plant ; as has 
been long time fince propofed in Shrubs, by the Ratifbon Agricola, and 
verified by many experiments performed, at my requeft, by Mr. Barnes. 
This fhews the propagation of Vegetables to be only a continued growth. 
The 
