VEGETABLE STRUCTURE. 
131 
the outer Films of the Bulb having ferved that office while it was in the 
ground. 
This is the whole exterior appearance of the Plant; and Gardeners 
think, the fingle and folid Bulb alone remains always j fending up yearly 
its Flower In Autumn, and ripening its Seeds under covert of the Leaves 
in Spring. The two clufters of Fibres might have given them other 
thoughts ; but to underfland the matter truly, we rnufl: uncover and dif- 
feft the Bulb. 
On opening the outer Coat, and turning it back, we find in the centre 
a folid oval Bulb, with a large procefs on one fide, and a ffiorter on the 
other ; along each of which runs a clufler of Scales, covering the Rudi- 
ment of a Flower. This is reprefented at Fig. 2. If we feparate the 
folid part from thcfe Rudiments, and its Shell, wc fee it entire, with a 
crown at the head, and another at the bafe, from neither of which any 
thing grows. This is reprefented at Fig. 3. At 4 is the entire Plant fplit 
lehgthwife : at 5 and 6 the folid body of the Root cut tranfverfely. At 7, 
the*Seed-VeiTel entire, furrounded with Its Spring Leaves : at 8, the Seed- 
Veffiel alone, divided, to fliew the arrangement of the Seeds. This gives 
a general view of the ftrudture of the Plant j and to thefe feveral parts we 
fhall refer in the fucceeding explanation. 
The moft advantageous w'ay to begin our examination, is, to cut the 
Root regularly thro’ the middle ; and then to continue the divifion ftrait 
thro’ the center of the Flower. See Fig. 4. 
A TRANSVERSE fedtion fliews the body of the Bulb a folid fubflance, 
irregularly oval, and marked on each fide w'ith a deep depreffion. Fig. 5 ; 
in which has run up the tube of a Flower, covered with Films, Fig. 2, a a. 
The outer coat of the Bulb is found to be a mere thick Film, connedling 
thefe three parts together ; and it is plain, that the two clufiers of Fibres 
grow from the bafes of thefe two Tubes of Flowers, a a, Fig. 2, not 
from any other part. Thefe fall afunder in the divided Plant, 4, there 
being nothing to unite them. Tiiey are not faftened to the Bulb in this 
part ; only prefled againft it by the outer Membrane. 
Clearing away the outer Coat from the bottom of the Root, we fee, 
that on one fide the bafe of the flowering part is level with the proper 
body of the Bulb, Fig. 4, a : but on the other, this part being much longer, 
the very fubflance of the Bulb accompanies it in a kind of horn. Fig. 4, 
b. The bafe of the tube of the Flower, and the horn of the Bulb, are 
abfolutely united in this part ; but the Fibres are fixed only to the bafe of 
the tube of the Flower j not to the horn of the Root. 
S 2 
On 
