OUTLINES OF BOTANY 



3;*;oo- 



I. LABORATORY STUDIES OP SEEDS AND 

 SEEDLINGS 



A seed comes to the ground, lodges in a crevice of the 

 earth, is warmed b}^ the sun and wet by the rain, and 

 after a time a new plant, the seedling, appears. 



a. To what extent is the new plant already formed 

 within the seed before germination begins ? 



h. What provision is made in the seed, in the way of 

 food, for the growth of the seedling and its estab- 

 lishment as an independent individual? 



e. What internal processes at the time of germination 

 may be detected by suitable experiments ? 



d. By what steps does the nascent plant (^embryo) de- 

 velop and attain to a life of self-support ? 



These are the general questions which the student is 

 asked to answer for himself in the studies outlined in this 

 chapter. The hrst exercises deal with the seed before 

 germination, and the later ones with the seedling, that is, 

 with the germination of the embryo and subsequent 

 events. 



THE SEED 



Exercise L The Embryo : its Form axd Condition previous 



TO Germination 



Castor Bean. — Beginning at the smaller end of the seed, cut away 

 the hard outer coat, or integument, without injuring the contents, or 

 kernel. Run the point of a knife around the edge of the kernel, then 

 split the halves apart. 



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