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when the plant is growing, hundreds or thousands of these spongioles are at work; they absorb the juices of the earth, and convey them to the minute rootlets. The fluid is then passed up through the larger rootlets, and again through the largest rootlets, into the large stem, from whence it ascends the stem of the plant, and forms sap. In this way, while there is moisture to be had, the roots feed the plant all day long. You see, therefore, how important it is, when transplanting a plant, to preserve the rootlets. W. But suppose there is no moisture, papa?

P. When the earth is very dry, they spread further, until they find moisture. This will lead to some other points concerning roots. If you compare the roots of a tree with the branches, you will find that they spread out beyond them. This is partly because the earth under the branches of the tree, is drier than the earth beyond. Again, it is necessary that the roots of a large tree should be longer, and should spread out wider than the branches, to fix it firmly in the earth, so that it may not blow down by the wind. Some roots have many thousands of spongioles. Can you see any other difference between this root and the stalk? L. Yes, the root has no buds, neither has it any leaves, nor joints. May I cut off a piece, papa? I want to look inside. P. Yes.

L. (Cutting the root.) Here is another difference; the root has not any pith, so that it differs

from the stem in four respects; it has neither buds, leaves, joints, nor pith.

P. Such a root is called a FIBROUS ROOT. In some plants the stems and branches possess the power of forming rootlets; you all know that if you cut a slip from a currant-tree, and plant it, it will frequently form a root; the pipings of pinks and carnations have the same property.

W. Not only do stems make new roots, but I have known roots to form new stems. Some time ago, I noticed that there were six young plants growing around one of the plum-trees which are nailed against the garden-wall. The gardener said that they were shoots which had been sent up by the roots of the old tree; but he dug them up, because, he said, they weakened it.

L. Rose-trees and cherrytrees grow in the same way; we call the new shoots "suckers."

P. Many plants have this property, particularly the grasses and reeds. I remember showing you some couch-grass, and telling you how troublesome it was.

Ion. It had long white roots, with fibres hanging to them; they looked more like stems.

P. That is the proper name for them; they are "underground stems." The stems, instead of growing above the earth, creep underneath for some distance; then they form new roots, get strength, and shoot upwards. By this plan of sending forth stems underneath the ground, the couch

grass and others extend amazingly.

W. But they are very troublesome.

P. When they are not wanted they are, but in some places they are very useful. Do you not remember when the labourers were making the great railway bank near our house?

W. Yes; and when they had finished they planted it with turf and grass seed. They told me that in the course of a year the roots of the grass would spread very much, and bind together the particles of the earth. They were useful just in the same way as cow's hair when it is mixed with mortar.

P. In the same way grasses are useful on banks of rivers, and coasts where there is loose shifting sand. You may have seen long grasses and reeds growing by the river-side. In Holland, particularly, there are large tracts of sandy soil which are only prevented from blowing over the country by the reeds which have been planted in them.

W. What sort of a root do you call a carrot, papa?

P. The carrot is merely a part of a root; it is a store of fleshy nourishment saved up for the following year. There are many plants, such as the carrot, parsnip, and beetroot, which live for two seasons. The first year they only produce leaves without flowers, and lay up a store of nourishment in their fleshy roots; the next year this nourishment enables them to produce flowers and seeds.

W. But why don't the roots

do the whole thing at once? Why don't they give the plants all the nourishment they want to make flowers and seeds during the first year, instead of saving it up?

P. Ah, that is an interesting question; the answer is, the plants are not strong enough to take it. This is the case in TEMPERATE COUNTRIES, because there is not much heat; but it is different in the TROPICAL COUNTRIES. If you were to cultivate these vegetables in the tropics, the roots would not form a store of nourishment. It would not be necessary; the moisture and heat of the climate would strengthen the plant so that it would grow up, and produce its flowers and seeds in a year.

This is the case particularly with the potato. In its native climate, the warm part of South America, very little fleshy substance is wanted for the young plants of the next year; so that there the potatoes are so small it is not worth while to cultivate them; but if you were to bring one over to England, the plant would find it necessary to make much larger "fleshy stores for the next year; thus it would produce for us potatoes which are worth eating.

There are plants in the dry tropics which have fleshy roots from another cause, but these we must leave now. You see how it is that the carrot, parsnip, potato, &c., are the vegetables of the temperate countries in particular.

Ion. Yes. Because it is too cold for them to come to per

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fection the first year. The truth is, that they lay up a good store of nourishment to make flowers and seed the next year; then we pull up the poor plants, and take the nourishment for ourselves.

W. It is just as bad as when the Sago Palm forms an immense quantity of pith to be used for ripening its fruitthen men cut down the poor tree, and take out the pith for themselves.

L. Or, just as bad as when the bees lay up a store of honey for the winter; we rob and kill the poor bees, and take the honey for ourselves. Or, just as bad as when a confiding old hen makes a great cackling to rejoice at the egg she has laid -you know what we do.

W. Yes; we rejoice with her (that is called sympathy); and as we know that the egg contains a store of nourishment for the young chick, we take it for ourselves.

P. No more, Willie! I am afraid you are going to confess all the offences that man commits against the animal and vegetable kingdoms to obtain food; if so, you will make a long catalogue.

I should tell you that the potato from its spherical shape, is called a TUBER. The carrot, parsnip, and others have the general name FLESHY ROOTS, while to those which consist of numerous scales, such as the lily and onion, we give the name of BULBS. Some bulbs such as the crocus, are nearly solid.

L. Now let me count up the different varieties of roots.

Plants may be arranged according to the shape of their roots. Some have only fibrous roots, such as the butter-cups and the daisy.

Others have also creeping stems which run along underground.

Others have fleshy roots, such as the carrot, turnip, mangel-wurzel, radish, parsnip, beet-root, &c..

Others form several tubers, such as the potato; others have bulbs, such as the lily, onion, &c.

P. Plants may also be arranged in classes according to the time their roots last. I told you that those which grow, flower, and die in one year, are called annuals; those which last two years are biennials; while

there are others which die down

to the ground during the winter, and send up new stems in the spring, for more than two years these are called perennials. W. Let me repeat that, papa!

Plants are divided, according to the time which their roots last, into annuals, biennials, perennials.

P. If you like, you may also arrange plants according to the places in which their roots grow. Shall I mention the places?

Ion. Yes, do, papa, please. P. The roots of some plants grow in fresh water, such as the well-known bulbous root, the hyacinth, the roots of duck-weed, and of the water lily also. These are called fluvial plants, from the Latin flumen a river. Others grow in the sea; these are called marine plants, from the Latin mare, the sea. Others fix their roots in the trunks of trees, such as the misletoe and the ivy;

the light, into the earth, towards the moisture.

-these are called parasitical plants; while those which grow on the land are called terrestrial. W. I will repeat the divi- leaves, or joints, and by having

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Plants may be arranged, according to the place in which their roots grow, into fluvial, marine, parasitical, and terrestrial plants.

They are just like the mammals-they live on the earth, in the water, and on the trees.

P. Instead of saying fluvial and marine plants, you may call all those which live in the water aquatic plants, from the Latin word aqua, water.

W. Before we leave off, papa, we will make up another memory lesson and say it.

Memory Lesson 2. THE
PARTS OF A PLANT-
THE ROOT.

1. The Roor of a plant is that part which arows downward from

2. It may be distinguished from a stem by having no pith, buds,

minute organs called "spongioles." There are parts resembling roots which creep under the earth, but these are "underground stems."

3. The functions of the root are to absorb nourishment for the plant, and to fix it firmly in the ground.

4. The roots of plants differ in their shape. Some have only a fibrous root; while in others we find also "underground stems," 'fleshy roots," tubers," and "bulbs."

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5. Roots also differ in the time during which they last; and are either annual, biennial, or perennial.

6. Roots also grow in different places; they absorb nourishment either from the land, the water, or trees. Thus we have terrestrial, aquatic, and parasitical plants.

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THE TUDORS.

HENRY VII.

P. KING RICHARD III. died | perhaps. "I am king, and I in the battle of Bosworth-field, have to rule all these people, in the year 1485; and Henry clergy, and nobles; I have Tudor, Earl of Richmond, was power, because the greater part crowned king in his stead. The of the people, and the greater crown was found in the battle- part of the nobles, wish me to field, and was placed on the rule. If I wish to raise an head of Henry. Then all the army, the nobles will not attend soldiers of the army shouted with their vassals, as in the Long live King Henry VII.!" times of the feudal system; to the satisfaction of most of but they must pay their warthe English nation. tax, or 'scutage.' The people, too, will pay heavy taxes; and their members of parliament will grant me supplies."

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Henry was connected with the House of Lancaster, as his grandmother, Catherine, was, you may remember, the widow of Henry V. There was a princess still living, named Elizabeth, who was the daughter of King Edward IV., and sister to the young princes who were murdered; she therefore belonged to the House of York. A few months after his coronation, Henry married Elizabeth, and then the nation were more pleased than before, for they said, "The Houses of York and Lancaster are now united, and thus the civil wars will end."

Ion. And if Henry and Elizabeth had any children, those children would be descended from both houses?

P. Yes. This first step was a wise one. The people thought, "Now we have a wise king!" and so they had, truly. King Henry, as he sat on his throne, was observing and thoughtful.

He,

He thought of himself first,

the

When he looked at CLERGY, he found that instead of being poor they were immensely rich; they possessed nearly one-fifth of all the land. But they were losing their power over the people, who had heard and read the truth. They now cared little for the Pope. The Plantagenet_race had expired, and the Papal system and the Feudal system had begun to expire also.

He next noticed the BARONS. They still had great power; and he thought to himself, "As long as these men are thus strong, they will quarrel and keep the kingdom in a broil; thus I shall never be able to keep order: I will try and humble them."

Then he looked at the PEOPLE. The people, as I told you, were now important. They had power in governing the nation, because their representatives could speak for them. As I

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