THE PLANT WORLD UNDER CARE. 



81 



any way that you please, keep the stem 

 and leaves in the light, and the whole 

 plant will grow and thrive if it is kept 



germinate a seed only three things are 

 necessary : warmth, moisture and air. 

 It will not germinate with only one or 



GERMINATING CASES ARRANGED IN CARD-CATALOGUE STYLE IN AN 



ENAMELED PAN. 



By this arrangement space is economized and the roots in each case, except the one in front, are 

 darkened by the adjoining case. A piece of black cloth may be used to cover the front glass. The 

 excess solution poured over the upper edges is collected in the pan, and from time to time is used 

 again to moisten the cotton above. 



warm. 1 have not found so much advan- 

 tage in keeping the roots in darkness as I 

 had anticipated. In most of my experi- 

 ments they have been wholly in the light. 

 This is undoubtedly somewhat of a disad- 

 vantage to the plant, but to be able to 

 watch the development of the roots adds 

 greatly to the interest. 



I have found the tablets helpful as a 

 fertilizer, and large numbers have been 

 sold as plant stimulants. 



Contrary to the persistent belief or to 

 the inquiries, let me say that the tablets 

 do not germinate nor aid in germinating 

 the seeds. They feed the plant after the 

 tiny roots have been formed and are 

 ready to take food. In fact, the appli- 

 cation of the chemical solution in the 

 very earliest stages of germination has 

 seemed to me to be a disadvantage. To 



two of these. It must have all three. 

 The tablet solution will not supply the 

 warmth nor the air, and the moisture is 

 better supplied by water than by the 

 solution. Darkness is helpful, but not 



A LIVING CHART OF A GROWING PLANT. 



White lupins, growing from successive plantings in a germinating case made of two sheets of glass 

 tied together with cotton wadding next to the back glass and a layer of black close woven cloth be- 

 tween the wadding and the glass in front. The cloth is for a dark background and to force the roots 

 to grow in one plane between the cloth and glass in front. The case is kept standing on edge. The 

 seeds are planted on the upper edge between the front glass and the black cloth, and kept moist ( with 

 water until rootlets appear and then wilh the solution). Strips of cotton should be used to cover the 

 edge and protect the seeds from drying until the plants begin to grow. At the end of two weeks there 

 is a living chart showing successive stages. 



