The Shasta courier., 1866-03-17
SHASTA COURIER.
The Marvels of a Seed.

Have you ever considered how wonderful a
thing the seed of plants? 1t is the mira
Gle of miracles. God said "let there be
plants yielding seed y and it is further add.
ed, each one after His kind"
The great naturalist, Cuvier, thought that
the germs of all past, present and future
generations of seeds were contained one with
in the other, as if packed in a succession OF
boxes Other learned men have explained
this mystery in a different way. But what
signify all their different explanations? Let
them explain it as they will, the wonder
remains the same, and we must look upon
the reproduction of the seed as a continual
miracle.
Is there upon earth machine, is there a
palace. is there even city. which contains
so much that is wonderful as Is enclosed IN a
single little seed am OF corn. ote J tie
apple seed, one small seed of tree, picked
up, perhaps. hy a sparrow for her little ones,
the smallest seed of poppy or bluebeil, or
even one Of the seels that are so small that
they float about the air invisible to our eyes ?
All, there is a world of marvel and brilliant
beauties hidden in each of these tiny seeds.
Consider their immense number, the perfect
separation Of the different kinds. their power
oflife and resurrection, and their wonderful
fruitfulness.
Consider first their number. About a
hundred and fifty years ago. the celebrated
Linnaus. who has been called the " father OF
botany" reckoned about eight thousand diff
ferent kinds of plants; and he then thought
that the whole number existing could not
exceed 10000. But hunder years after
him. NJ de Candole, of Geneva, described
O,000 kinds of plants, and he supposed it
possible that the whole number might amount
TO even 100000.
Well, let me ask you, have these 100000
kinds of plants ever failed to bear the right
seed I? Have they ever deceived US? Has a
seed of wheat ever yielded barley, or "a seed
Of poppy grown up into a sunfower? Has
n sycamore tree ever sprung from an acorn,
or beach tree from a chestnut? a little
bird may carry away the small seed of a
sycamore in its mouth to feed its nestings,
and on the way may drop it on the ground.
The tiny seed may spr ne up and grow
where it fell unnoticed, and sixty years after
it may become a magnificent tree, under
which the fucks Of the valleys and their
shepherds may rest in the shade.
Consider next the wonderful power of life
AMI resurrection bestowed on the seeds O.
plants, So that they may be preserved from
wear to wear, and even from century to cen
tury.
Let child put few seeds in a drawer
and shut them up. and sixty wears afi er
wards. when his hair is white and his step
lettering. let him take one of these seeds and
SOW it III the ground, and soon after we will
see it spring up into new life and become "A
young, fresh and beautiful plant.
NJ. Jnuannent relates that in the year 1885
several old Celtic tombs were discovered near
Bergorac. Under the head of each of the
dead bodies there was found small square
stone or brick, with hole in it. containing
a few seeds. which had been placed there
beside he dead by the heathen friends who
had buried them, perhaps 1900 or 100 year-
before These seeds were carefully sowed by
those who found them and what do you
think was seen to spring up from The dust
OF the dead ?-beautiful sunfower-. blue corn
flowers, and clover, oearing blossoms as
bright and sweet as those which are woven
into wreaths by the merry children now
playing in our fields.
Some years ago a vase, hermetcally seal
ed, was found in a mummy pit in Egypt, by
the English traveller, Wilkinson, who sent 1t
to the British Museum The librarian there
having unfortunately broken it, discovered
in it few grains of wheat and one or two OF
peas, old. wrlnkled, and. as hard as stone
The peas were planted carefully under glass
on the 4th of June, 1874. and at the end OF
thirty days these old seeds were seen to
spring up into new life.. They had been
buried probably about 1900 years agn-per
haps in the time cf Moses, and had slept al
that long time apparently dead, yet still liv
ing in the dust of the tomb.