MICHIGAN EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS 



355 



Some of the dry timothy seeds will appear clean and 

 naked, while others will be partially enclosed by two 

 small scales or chafP. In proportion to its length, a 

 grain of timothy is rather thicker than a kernel of 

 wheat, and has no grove along one side. There is a 

 small spot near one end, as there was found in the 

 kernel of wheat, where the sprout was seen to come 

 forth. 



The seeds of clover vary in color 



from light yellow to dark purple, the 



Fig. 23. Grains of timothy yellow being produced by light colored 



magnified fifteen times, plants and the dark purple seeds by the 



dark green plants. Unless well screened, the seeds vary ^cfovtv dr|?magn^ 



much in size and considerably in shape. Like those of fled six times. 



white beans, they are somewhat flattened and have a 

 small scar on one edge. The first little stem of the 

 seedling inside is rather large and causes the seed to 

 swell considerably along a portion of one edge. 



As in wheat, so the small grain of timothy remains on 

 F' 25 s ds f d ^'^^ surface of the ground or beneath it while sending 

 clover soaked, magni- up a slender blade to the light. Wheat left on the sur- 

 fied SIX times. ^^^^ q£ ^^^ ^^^ g^jj |g Sometimes stilted up, spider-like, 



on three and finally on five slender roots; not so with timothy. The 

 latter produces but one main root pointing away from the base of the 

 grain and it sticks to the soil held by the long root hairs. After 

 a little, other roots appear near the little stem or as branches of the first 

 main root. The first representation of a leaf consists of a light colored 

 sheath much like that seen in wheat, and from this comes forth 

 another and above and within still others in succession, which are narrow 

 and slightly twisted, and the twist is in the direction taken by a screw 

 driver while turning a screw into wood, the same as found in the leaves of 

 wheat. If kept moist under a tumbler the tip of each leaf usually holds 

 on the surface a small drop of water. It may interest some of the children 

 to touch these drops with the point of a needle and watch the result. 



