18 
HOW PLANTS GROW FROM THE SEED. 
41. The seed-leaves of the Bean are thickened by having so much nourishment 
stored up in them, so much of it that they make good food for men. And the 
object of this large supply is that the plant may grow more strongly and rapidly 
from the seed. It need not and it does not wait, as 
the Maple and the Morning-Glory do, slowly to make 
the second pair of leaves; but is able to develop 
these at once. Accordingly, the rudiments of these 
next leaves may be seen in the seed before growth 
begins, in the form of a little bud (Fig. 33, p ), ready 
to grow and unfold as soon as the thick seed-leaves 
themselves appear above ground (Fig. 34), and soon 
making the first real foliage (Fig. 35). For the 
seed-leaves of the Bean are themselves so thick and 
ungainly, that, although they turn green, they hardly 
serve for foliage. But, having given up their great 
stock of nourishment to the forming root and new 
leaves, and enabled these to grow much stronger and 
faster than they otherwise could, they wither and fall 
off. It is nearly the same in 
42. The Cherry, Almond, &C. Fig. 36 is an Almond 
taken out of the shell, soaked a little, and the thin 
seed-coat removed. The whole 
is an embryo, consisting of a 
pair of large and thick seed- 
leaves, loaded with sweet nour¬ 
ishment. These are borne on a 
very short radicle, or stemlet, which is seen at the lower end. 
Pull off one of the seed-leaves, as in Fig. 37, and you may 
see the plumule or little bud, 
p, ready to develop leaves 
and stem upwards, while the 
other end of the radicle 
grows downward and makes 
the root; the rich store of 
nourishment in the seed- 
