VI INTRODUCTORY LESSONS. 



your first lessons from plants wliicli Lave larger beginnings. You should 

 first study — 



2. The Plant in the seed. Get many kinds of large seeds, such as 

 peas, beans, squash-seeds, buckeyes, castor beans, corn, etc. Put them 

 in water that they may become soft enough to be readily separated into 

 their parts. In a day or two starchy seeds, such as peas or beans, will be 

 in good condition. 



3. First take a bean and make drawings showing the outlines as seen 

 sidewise and edgewise. Any marks that seem to be found on all beans 

 must be put down in the drawing, but do not bother about the shading. 

 These attempts to represent what 3-ou see will lead to the discovery of 

 certain marks on the concave edge of the bean, the meaning of which 

 you may sometime learn by studjang the growth of the seed iu the pod. 

 After you have thus studied the outside of the seed, slit it along the back 

 Avith a sharp knife and take out the kernel. It readily splits into halves 

 wliich are held together near one end by a short stem. Upon breaking 

 them apart the stem sticks to one half, and you discover growing from the 

 inner end a pair of tiny embracing-leaves. Make another drawing and 

 compare it with Fig. 7. Presently it will be 

 clear to you that this entire kernel is a little 

 plant. The plant in this dry apparentl}' lifeless 

 first stage of its existence is called — 



4. The Embryo, or Gorm. This, as you have 

 seen, is made up of the stem, or Radicle ; the 

 thick parts called Cotyledons, and the two4eaved 7 



T 1 r)7 7 mi \ i» • • 7. One cotvledou of a bean wifh 



bud, or riumule. ihe embryo of a pea is sim- the radicle and Lu-i plumule. 8. 

 ilar to that of a bean, but the plumule is more oro^nI''cotviSu'\vit,h"^ 

 decidedly a bud. Fig. 8 represents the straight sami;'''"''''"' '' """"'"" "'^" °' *""' 

 embryo of a peanut. The radicle is not bent around against the cotjde- 

 dons as in the pea and bean, and the plumule shows two divided leaflets. 

 The cotyledons of the squash are thin and the plumule is scarcely visible. 

 Luijine, though its seeds resemble beans, has a long radicle and a minute 

 j)lumule. The buckej^e seems to have a long radicle, but since it splits 

 nearly to its point, wdiere you will find a large plumule, it is evident that 

 the.ai^parent radicle is mostly made uj) of the cotyledon stems (x)etioles). . 



