CHAPTER IV

Vegetable Cells and their Structure—Stellate Tissues—Secondary Deposit—Ducts and Vessels—Wood-Cells—Stomata, or Mouths of Plants—The Camera Lucida, and Mode of Using—Spiral and Ringed Vessels—Hairs of Plants—Resins, Scents, and Oils—Bark Cells.

We will now suppose the young observer to have obtained a microscope and learned the use of its various parts, and will proceed to work with it. As with one or two exceptions, which are only given for the purpose of further illustrating some curious structure, the whole of the objects figured in this work can be obtained without any difficulty, the best plan will be for the reader to procure the plants, insects, etc., from which the objects are taken, and follow the book with the microscope at hand. It is by far the best mode of obtaining a systematic knowledge of the matter, as the quantity of objects which can be placed under a microscope is so vast that, without some guide, the tyro flounders hopelessly in the sea of unknown mysteries, and often becomes so bewildered that he gives up the study in despair of ever gaining any true knowledge of it. I would therefore recommend the reader to work out the subjects which are here mentioned, and then to launch out for himself on the voyage of discovery. I speak from experience, having myself known the difficulties under which a young and inexperienced observer has to labour in so wide a field, without any guide to help him to set about his work in a systematic manner.

The objects that can be most easily obtained are those of a vegetable nature, as even in London there is not a square, an old wall, a greenhouse, a florist’s window, or even a greengrocer’s shop, that will not afford an exhaustless supply of microscopic employment. Even the humble vegetables that make their daily appearance on the dinner-table are highly interesting; and in a crumb of potato, a morsel of greens, or a fragment of carrot, the enthusiastic observer will find occupation for many hours.

Following the best examples, we will commence at the beginning, and see how the vegetable structure is built up of tiny particles, technically called “cells.”

That the various portions of every vegetable should be referred to the simple cell is a matter of some surprise to one who has had no opportunity of examining the vegetable structure, and indeed it does seem more than remarkable that the tough, coarse bark, the hard wood, the soft pith, the green leaves, the delicate flowers, the almost invisible hairs, and the pulpy fruit, should all start from the same point, and owe their origin to the simple vegetable cell. This, however, is the case; and by means of a few objects chosen from different portions of the vegetable kingdom, we shall obtain some definite idea of this curious phenomenon.

I.

FIG.
1.Strawberry, cellular tissue15.Wood-cells, Elder
2.Buttercup leaf, internal layer16.Glandular markings and resin, “Cedar” pencil
3.Privet, Seed Coat, showing star-shaped cells 17. Do.  Yew
4.Rush, Star-shaped cells18.Scalariform tissue, Stalk of Fern
5.Mistletoe, cells with ringed fibre19.Dotted Duct, Willow
6.Cells from interior of Lilac bud20. Do.  Stalk of Wheat
7.Bur-reed (Sparganium), square cells from leaf 21.Wood-cell, Chrysanthemum
8.Six-sided cells, from stem of Lily22. Do.  Lime-tree
9.Angular dotted cells, rind of Gourd23.Dotted Duct, Carrot
10.Elongated ringed cells, anther of Narcissus 24.Cone-bearing wood, Deal
11.Irregular star-like tissue, pith of Bulrush25.Cells, outer coat, Gourd
12.Six-sided cells, pith of elder26.Ducts, Elm
13.Young cells from Wheat27.Cellular tissue, Stalk of Chickweed
14. Do.  rootlets of Wheat28.Holly-berry, outer coat