Excerpt from The Standard Natural History, Vol. 1 In so far as this is a process of growth, accompanied by the assumption of a defi nite form, it might be compared with the growth of a crystal of salt in brine; but, on closer examination, it turns out to be something very different. For the crystal of salt grows by taking to itself the salt contained in the brine, which is added to its exterior; whereas the plant grows by addition to its interior; and there is not a trace of the characteristic compounds of the plant's body, albumen, gluten, starch, or cellulose, or fat, in the soil, or in the water, or in the air. Yet the plant creates nothing, and therefore the matter of the proteids and amy loids and fats which it contains must be supplied to it, and simply manufactured, or combined in new fashions, in the body of the plant. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.