2IO THE PLANT WORLD. 



ture, but this is of secondary importance. Nothing should be 

 told b}' the teacher that can be found out by the child himself by 

 observing the specimen. 



He should have observed the scar (hilum), or place where the 

 seed was fastened in the ]:)od ; the little hole, micropyle, at one 

 side of the scar, and on the opposite side a small knob (stro- 

 phiole), somewhat heart-shaped. (Oftentimes the ends of the 

 seeds are somewhat flattened, due to crowding in the pod.) 



Little is gained by giving the scientific terms. Not because 

 they are hard (hilum is as easy as scar), but because they do not 

 add at all to the clearness of the child's idea. Young pupils are 

 apt to confuse ideas with their terms, and to think that they know 

 a thing when they know only its name. The knowledge of scien- 

 tific terms is an absolute hindrance to the child in an endeavor 

 to describe. 



Inside Parts. 



Material. — Provide for each pupil, one soaked seed with the 

 cotyledons carefully separated, the seed coat still adhering to 

 the halves, and the hypocot}l and plumule still intact. Cut the 

 skin so as not to injure any of the structures on the hilum edge. 



Observation. — Observe the half of the seed to which the peg 

 is not attached. Is the bean covered with a skin or seed-coat? 

 Is this coat tough or very delicate? Is the coloring of the seed 

 on the coat or under it? Is the inner surface of this half flat or 

 cup-like? Is the surface of the other half the same? Can you 

 think of any reason why the cup shape is a better one for the 

 seed than a flat surface would be? Was this half attached to the 

 other in any way? If it was, describe where. On the other half, 

 do the knob, scar, and little hole belong to the seed-coat, or to 

 the parts under the seed-coat ? Is the peg straight or curved ? 

 What part of the seed-coat is over the tip of the peg? Is this* 

 the same in all bean seeds? What is on the opposite end of the 

 peg from the pointed end? Is it composed of parts? If so, how 

 many? What is their color? Are they in a straight line with 

 the peg, or do they make a curve with it? Is the peg attached 

 to this half of the bean? Can you see any signs of its having 

 been attached to the other half? Make drawings (X4) showing 



