AMOUNT REQUIRED.

19

separated from its mother the moment generatien had taken place? The entire time between the blowing and seed ripening of all forms of vegetable life is one continual drainage of maternal nutrition for the embryo. Pluck a flower or head of grain as soon as impregnation has been effected, and what becomes of the seed? Tear the brute or human ovum from the mother the moment parental intercourse has taken place, and how soon it dies. Fowl, fish, reptile, may at first seem to be exceptions, but, observe, all eggs and spawn are furnished by the mother with a nutritious deposite, in the form of the yolk, the sole object of which is to feed the embryo till able to eat for itself. Why does the maternal stalk of grain, straw, grass, weed, beet, bulb, etc., fade and die as soon as it has ripened its seed? Because its entire stock of nutrition-and it puts forth its every energy to augment that stock at this period-is drawn from it. by its ripening seed, and in ORDER to such ripening. The sole object of the life of the animal and vegetable mother after impregnation, is to thus nourish the embryo seed. Every leaf, every root, every branch, evey item of growth is for this purpose, and this only.

408. AMOUNT OF NUTRITION REQUIRED.

So, too, the draft of the animal embryo on its mother for vitality, is even greater. The latter does not, indeed. like the former, die the moment she completes her first reproduction, because her life is required for subsequent ones, but her embryo's draft on her life-power is as much above that of vegetable seed on its mother, as animal surpasses vegetable.* And it is indeed a general law,

*The fact that many other females, as the horse, cow, elephant, lion€88, etc., carry their young quite as long as the human mother, may seem

that the higher the order of vegetable or animal, the more exhausting the reproductive process. Thus a single vegetable often reproduces millions-and the more the lower the grade-and the inferior animals, fish, toads, frogs, etc., multiply hundreds and thousands of times faster than horses, cattle, elephants, tigers, lions, monkeys, or man, because the higher graded the offspring, the more life it requires from the first for the formation of organs, and imparting to them the required impetus in the start. Is it not reasonable that the greater the number of the embryo's organs, and the more numerous and powerful its functions, the more sustenance it requires to draw from its mother, both to form these organs, and to support the requisite power of function till independent life is established?

But why dwell thus? Why amplify a principle which needs only to be stated to be admitted? Because I wish to impress, not merely the law itself, but also its BREADTH and POWER. Only think of it! Over two hundred and fifty bones, and five hundred and twenty-seven muscles, besides heart, blood-vessels, lungs, liver, digestive apparatus, glands, eyes, ears, etc., etc., throughout the entire system of organs which make up the body! And this only the beginning! Behold that complicated net-work of nerves, and, above all, that brain! And every one of these organs the embodyment and utmost condensation of nutrition! Mark, also, that all organs, to become strong, must be EXERCISED. Hence that great amount of muscular motion put forth by the child before birth. And

to be an exception, yet mark, the latter are again prepared for the reception of another life-germ in a few days after delivery, while nature requires the human mother to wait till after she has weaned her last, which, in case nature had her perfect work, would probably be years 442. so that the multiplication of mar. is slower than that of any other animal.

it takes far more vitality to sustain this exercise than merely to form the organs. In short, this bearing function is one of the most exhausting in nature. And the higher the grade of animal, the more it draws on the mother's vitality, because the more power is required with which to begin life. Hence the higher the animal, the more slowly it propagates. Accordingly the human mother is ordained by nature to bear slowly, to wait for the reception of the germ of life till she has attained the age of from fifteen to twenty years, and to wait for a second till she has weaned the first, which, at the shortest, cannot be much less than two years; and evidently the order of nature is to nurse children some two or three years 442, which would separate births some three or four years, because this process is so exhausting as to require all this time to recruit so as to prepare for

another.

409. THE FEMALE SECRETION

Furnishes an additional illustration of the amount of nutrition required by the embryo; for what is the secretion but the life's blood of the mother-the very essence of nutrition-secreted by the very organ which nourishes the embryo, and imbibed by the carrying and nursing process, yet discharged, because a surplus, when not wanted for these the specific purposes of its creation? And in general, the greater its abundance and health, except when in diseased excess, the more perfectly the embryo is nourished during gestation and nursing. This secretion is only an excess of nutrition over and above what the mother requires for her own self, so that the embryo may have that abundance of vitality which it must have, or starve to death before it comes into life.

Still another proof of this law is the HEARTINESs of

mothers at this period, provided their general health is good. Though weakly mothers are often qualmish, sick at the stomach, languid, and troubled with all sorts of ailments, yet, mark, this is NOT THE ORDER OF NATURE. On the contrary, truly healthy women, whose female organs are healthy, and functions vigorous, have BETTER health at this period than at any other; and all would have if they should bring a fair degree of constitution and health to the fulfillment of these relations.

410. THE BEARING PROCESS INCREASES APPETITE.

This statement is rested on the experience of all healthy mothers. Let the lower classes of Irish, German, Welch, Arabian, Indian, and other hale, hearty females settle this point experimentally. Let even any really healthy woman say whether she has not more appetite and better digestion, does not sleep better, and breathe more freely at these times. And let woman, who at these periods is so weakly, full of aches, and deadly sick at the stomach, remember that these pains are not nature's curse stamped upon child-bearing, but the penalties of her previous violations of the laws of health, aggravated at this period because of the greater draft on her vitality, which her previous debility prevents her from supplying.

And why should not all the vital functions naturally be more vigorous at this period? The mother has to eat, digest, breathe, exercise, sleep, etc., for herself as much as ever, and for her child in ADDITION. Behold, then, the beauty of nature's provision for an increase of the vital functions in mothers at this period! What else could be expected? A beautiful adaptation of increased supply according to increased demand.

AMOUNT REQUIRED.

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Nor let mothers neglect the great practical truth taught by this principle, but by all the intellect, all the maternal yearnings of their nature, avail themselves of its advantages, Let them, by every means in their power, enhance the flow of vitality in themselves, that their dear prospective child, instead of literally starving for want of life-power, may have supplied to it all it can receive. Any surplus nature will evacuate by that secretion insti tuted for this very purpose. Too much can do no manner of damage. Too little weakens and stints the tender bud in its first start, from which it can never fully reTo look at this point in the light of a general law.

cover.

411. ALL VERY YOUNG ANIMALS REQUIRE EXTRA CARE. If you want good cabbages, or onions, or beets, or corn, or any thing, keep it well weeded WHILE YOUNG. All practical gardeners are my witnesses that this is THE SECRET of good gardening. The reason is this: If the young plant is choked and robbed of nourishment in the start, no after attention can ever make it any more than barely tolerable; whereas, if well weeded AT FIRST, it acquires that headway which carries it through finely, however much it may be subsequently neglected.

Good practical farmers bestow extra care and food upon their CALVES and COLTS. Young stock, if neglected the first winter, NEVER RECOVER FROM THE CONSEQUENT STINT, but if well fed and sheltered the first winter, subsequent neglect is not minded. A practical farmer related to me the following anecdote:

"I had a mean calf in the fall, sired by an inferior male, and apparently worthless. I took extra care of it during the winter, and in the spring it eclipsed all my neighbors' calves so that I sold it for more than double