began to fail. This is easily explained. 

 You have learned that a seed contains 

 a young plant and enough food to keep 

 it growing until roots and leaves are 

 formed. From that time the plant 

 must get its food through the leaves 

 and roots. Distilled water contains 

 no plant food hence the roots could 

 not convey food to the plants and they 

 died. Exercise 5 shows that the seed 

 leaves, the storage house for the 

 embryo plant, furnish food for some time 

 until the young plant can get estab- 

 lished. The third row of plants has 

 done the best of all. The plants in 

 the first row from which the seed leaves 

 Were picked are doing very poorly. 



The Eirbryo Plant Does Not Need 

 Mg-'-t — The natural place for seeds is 

 beneath the surface of the soil. There- 

 fore, the little plant within the seed 

 coat does not need light. Can you per- 

 form an experiment to prove this? 



~he Plant Above Ground Needs 

 Light — Light is essential to the plant 

 after the seed food has been used; No- 

 tice how these plants lean toward the 

 window. Arrange an experiment to 

 show that plants need light. Later 

 you wiM learn ^ow plants make sure 

 of plenty of light. 



The sun rises in the east and sets 

 in the west. Rows of plants should 

 be planted north and south, so that 

 sun^ght may strike the plants from 

 all sides and the soil between the rows. 

 Sunlight purifies soil. 



An ideal garden should slope gently 

 toward the south in order that the 

 sun's rays may fall more directly on 

 the plants and on the soil. 



Flowering plants need much sun- 

 light. Others, such as ferns, do best 

 in cool, shady spots. 



Note — Tn talking about the needs of 

 a seed we mean the needs of the liv- 

 ing plant within the seed coat. 



QUESTIONS 



1. What does the embryo plant need 

 for growth? 



2. What may be done to the seed bed 

 to furnish air to seeds? 



3. Why should seeds not be planted 

 while soil is wet? 



4. How may a seed bed be made 

 warm? 



5. When should manure be added? 



6. How do you know that plants need 

 food? 



7. What is the main use of the coty- 

 ledons? 



8. How do you know that plants 

 need light? 



HOME STUDIES 



1. How does the farmer nearest you 

 prepare the land for air, for warmth, 

 for food, for sunshine? 



2. Why are the plants in your vi- 

 cinity that grow close together so tall? 



3. Notice the limbs of a tree; why 

 are some dying? Why are there no 

 branches on the lower part of a tree? 



4. How far apart should orchard 

 trees be planted to insure enough sun- 

 light? 



5. How does irrigation furnish food 

 to plants? 



6. What is meant by "cover crops"? 

 Of what value are they to the farmer? 

 What plants are called legumes? 



7. Find out a way to irrigate with 

 manured waier. 



8. What is the cost in labor, etc., of 

 manuring an acre of land? Of adding 

 lime to an acre? How is lime put on 

 the soil? 



The Swelling Power of Seeds 



LLOYD KENNEDY, 



Oakland. Franklin School, A Fifth 



Grade. 



The teacher took a small bottle and 

 filled it with dry beans. The bottle 

 was three and one-half inches tall and 

 one inch in diameter. After this was 

 done she filled it with water and placed 

 it in a large glass that was almost 

 full to the brim with water. Oh the 

 glass was pasted the label: "Do seeds 

 as they swell exert any force?" 



The next day, the bottom of the bot- 

 tle fell out, and the following day it 

 was split lengthwise, only held to- 

 gether by a thread which was wrapped 

 around it. 



That afternoon the thread also 

 broke, the bottle was in pieces, and the 

 beans were oh the bottom of the glass. 

 This teaches us that seeds do exert 

 force when they swell. 



