(;/-A'.\//.\My/('.v 



-'=;9 



pluimilc. AftiT the beans had been sown a few 

 (la\'s and carcfull}' watered, we mav take u\) two 

 or three for examination. At first we ma\' oid\' 

 see the radicle just eniert^in;^ from the h'ttle hole 

 at the end of the /////////, l)iit if we wait, say, ei<,rht 

 or nine dax's, we shall L(et a further de\elopment. 

 lieforc dij^^int^ up our seed we will see if any 

 others arc pccj:)in^ through the soil. \'cs, here is 

 one, just an arched kind of shoot, no leaves, only 

 the bow of the arch pushing- up the particles of 

 the soil, so that the |)oint of the shoot is clearly 

 still below the i^round. Now, takini; uj) a seed we 

 notice that the radicle has penetrated some wa)' 

 down into the soil, and with a pocket lens we arc 

 able to see a little higher than the tip of the ro(jt 

 cjuitc a crop of delicate little ro(;t-hairs. The 

 cotN'ledons are still enclosed in the toui^h skin, but 

 the u[)ward L;row th of the //\'v7///;// is actinL,^ on 

 them like a le\'er, and we can now j)lainly see that 

 it is this tii^rlliiui that, b\' its upward i;rowth. is 

 penetrating^ the soil, and in so doini;' is drawing 

 the cotyledons from the seed coat. All this time 

 the delicate plumule is kept out of daivj^er b\' the 

 arched shape of the tigellum and the folding of the 



