y^C) Rural School Leaflet. 



6. Notice the change from day to day in the first pair of leaves. 



7. The cotyledons have two uses; what arc they? 



Subject matter. — The bean seed must be thoroughly soaked with 

 moisture before it will sprout; this is the reason why the seed planted 

 near the surface failed to genninate, and the purpose of packing the 

 moist soil over the seeds. 



The food is stored in the cotyledons as oil, starch, and protein. In 

 the presence of water these are changed into soluble form by dissolving 

 agents in the seed. In the soluble fonn they can now be carried to 

 all parts of the plant where they are used as food. The oil, starch, and 

 protein were stored in the seed last summer, and now serve to feed the 

 plant until its leaves are large enough to make its own organic food. 

 These dissolving agents in the seed are analogous to some of the dissolv- 

 ing agents in the digestive juices. 



Other lessons. — i. Sprout twelve bean seeds and then cut the coty- 

 ledons from six plants. Compare results. Try the same with squash 

 seeds. 



2. Make a list of the other plants that lift their cotyledons above 

 gi-ound. How deep will you plant them?. What would be the advan- 

 tage of planting three or four seeds in a hill? 



3. Where is the food stored in the pea and corn seeds? 



4. Probably some of the bean plants will have large yellowdsh brown 

 spots caused by anthracnose — a common bean disease. Send to Cornell 

 University for Bulletin No. 239. This will describe the disease and 

 indicate the treatment. 



IV 



Making a Garden 



C. E. HUNN 



I. Preparation of the land. — If the land for the garden can be secured 

 in the fall, much of the preliminary work can be done before freezing 

 weather, having all leveling done, rough material removed, and the 

 ground ploughed or spaded. Fall plowing is recommended since the 

 winter freezing has a beneficial effect on the soil, causing it to crumble 

 and separate into fine particles. It is also possible to work fall-plowed 

 land earlier in the spring than flat-lying land. If spring plowing must 

 be done, it is best to start as early as the ground is fit to work. A good 

 coating of barnyard manure spread evenly over the ground before 

 plovs-ing is always beneficial. Plow to the depth of four to six 

 inches and harrow the soil fine ^^'ith a spring-tooth harrow. The small 



