THE SPERMATOPHYTES 453 
By this time (about two years after pollination) the scales of 
the cone, now quite woody, separate, the seeds are shaken out, 
and many are carried for a considerable distance by winds. 
Neck of 
7 ° 
7 Archegonium 
| Wall of 
Megaspore 
Fic. 341.—Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra). Longitudinal section of the upper end 
of the endosperm showing two archegonia. The one at the right is mature and 
ready for fertilization; that at the left is younger; the ventral canal cell is being cut 
off. (Mottier.) : 
GERMINATION OF THE SEED.—Under favorable conditions, the 
seeds absorb water and germinate in the spring following their 
dispersal. The hypocotyl of the embryo appears first, arching 
upward and downward, and, straightening out, draws the green 
cotyledons with it, which spread out toward the light, while it 
