CHAPTER XIX. 
The Study of Typical Fruits. 
214. A Berry, the Tomato.1— Study the external form of the 
tomato, and make a sketch of it, showing the persistent calyx and 
peduncle. ; 
Cut a cross-section at about the middle of the tomato. Note the thick- 
ness of the epidermis (peel off a strip) and of the wall of the ovary. Note 
the number, size, form, and contents of the cells of the ovary. Observe 
the thickness and texture of the partitions between the cells. Sketch. 
Note the attachments of the seeds to the placentas and the gelatinous, 
slippery coating of each seed. Rub off this coating and then note the 
wing-like margin around the seed. 
The tomato is a typical berry, but its structure presents fewer points 
of interest than are found in some other fruits of the same general char- 
acter, so the student will do well to spend a little more time on the 
examination of such fruits as the orange or the lemon. 
215. A Hesperidium, the Lemon. — Procure a large lemon which is 
not withered, if possible one which still shows the remains of the calyx 
at the base of the fruit. 
Note the color, general shape, surface, remains of calyx, knob at 
portion formerly occupied by the stigma. Sketch the fruit about natural 
size. Examine the pitted surface of the rind with the magnifying-glass 
and sketch it. Remove the bit of stem and dried-up calyx from the base 
of the fruit; observe, above the calyx, the knob or disk on which the 
pistil stood. Note with the magnifying glass and count the minute 
whitish raised knobs at the bottom of the saucer-shaped depression left 
by the removal of the disk. : 
Make a transverse section of the lemon, not more than a fifth of the 
way down from the stigma end and note: 
(1) The thick skin, pale yellow near the outside, white within. 
(2) The more or less wedge-shaped divisions containing the juicy pulp 
of the fruit. These are the matured cells of the ovary ; count these. 
(3) The thin partitions between the cells. 
1 Fresh tomatoes, not too ripe, are to be used, or those which have been kept over 
from the previous summer in formalin solution. The very smallest varieties, such 
as are often sold for preserving, are as good for study as the larger kinds. 
