The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1863-04-30
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which contains so much that ~ wonder
full as is enclosed in \ single seed-one
grain Of corn, one little brown apple
seed, one small seed Of tree, picked
up, perhaps, by sparrow for her little
ones, the smallest Of poppy, Of blue
bell, or even one If the seeds that are
80 small that they Aoat about the air
invisible to our cyes7 All! there is .
world Of marvel and brilliant beauties
hidden in each Of fthese tiny seeds. Con-
siaer thcif immense number, the per-
feet separation Of the different kinds,
their power OF life and resurrection, and
| their wonicrtnlnesl.
Consider first their number. About 4
hundred and fifty years ago the celc.
brated Linnacus, who had been called
"the father Of botany reckoned about
eight thousand diff ren, kinds Of plants !;
and he then shou2h. that the whole
number existing could not much ex-
Iceed ten thousand. But one huncred
wears after him NJ. de Candolle Of Ge.
neva. described forty thousand kinds Of
plants, and supposed it possible that
the number might even amount TO one
hundred thousand.
Well. let me ask yon. have these one
hundred thousand kinds If plants ever
tailed to bear The right seed? Have they
ever deceived us ? Has seed Of wheat
ever yielded barley, or seed Of poppy
gro VII up in suphnwer? Has syca
more tree ever sprung from an acorn,
"r bccch.tr.c from chestnut? A
little bid may carry away the small
seed of a sycamore to its beak to feed
its nesting, and on the way drop it on
the ground. The tiny seed may spring
ny and grow whore It fell. nunn,icea.
and sixty years after become magnif
c mi tree. under which the focks Of the
valley and ihri' shepherds may rest in
he shade.
Consider next the wonderful powe,
nflife and resurrection bestowed on the
seeds Of plants, 40 that they may be
preserved from year to year, and even
from century u century.
Let child put few seeds in adraw-
or and shut them mp; sixty wears after
wards when his hair Is white and his
step tottering, let him take one Of those
seeds and sow it in the ground. and
soon after he will see it spring up into
new life and become young, fresh and
beautiful plant.
Mr.. Jonnanpet relates that in the
year 1888 several o.d Celtic tombs were
discovered near B .gorac. Under the
head of each Of the dead bodies there
was found small square stone or
brick, with hole in each, containing a
few seeds, which had been placed there
beside the dead by the heather friends
who had buried them perhaps fifteen
or seventeen hundred years before.
These seeds were carefully sowed by
those who found them. What was
seen to sprni. from the dust Of the
dead? Beautiful snnlowers, blue corn
ho~ers, and clover bearing blossoms as
bright and sweet as those which are
woven into wrca,hs by merry children
now playing in our fields.
Some years ago, vase, hermetically
sealed, was found in mummy pit in
Egypt, by the English traveller, Wilki,r
son, who sent it to the Museum. The
librarian there, having unfortunately
broken it, discovered in it few grains
of wheat and one or two peas, old
wrinkled and as hard as o stone. The
peas were planted carefully under glass
on the fourth day Of June, 1874, and At
the end Of thirty days these seeds were
seen spring up into new life.-They had
been buried probably three thousand
years ago, perhaps il. the time of Moses
and had slept all that long time appar
emily dead, yet still living in. the dust Of
| the to.ab.-IGsaasea.