The Anatomy and Physiology of Plants 63 



on the other side of the bean and spUt it into halves as 

 it naturally divides. Down near the eye you can easily 

 see a pair of miniature leaves and a short pointed stem, the 

 point being directed straight tov^ard the Httle opening 

 we noticed on the outside. The bean, having imbibed 

 moisture, is ready to begin active hfe, for a plentiful supply 

 of moisture is essential to the activity of the Hving matter 

 in the seed, which performs all the work of the plant, and 

 it must swell from its dormant condition and fill the cells 

 before active life can begin. 



Now place in a deep saucer a number of layers of thick 

 blotting paper and wet them well. Lay some of the 

 sw;ollen beans on this wet paper and cover the saucer with 

 a pane of glass, and keep in a warm place. At the same 

 time plant some in wet sand in a box with the eyes of the 

 beans down. Watch those on the paper and in a little 

 while you will see the pointed end of the stem you examine 

 in the split bean protruding through the little opening, and 

 directly the two halves of the bean begin to separate and 

 rise up, and become somewhat green in color. The stem 

 runs along on the damp paper straight ahead and becomes 

 a root, and shortly other roots branch from it, each with a 

 pointed end. Examine these roots with an ordinary mag- 

 nifying glass and you will see that the end of each rootlet 

 is naked, while just back of it the root is covered with a 

 velvety coating of fine hairs. 



The older botanists told us that the extreme tips of the 

 roots of plants were soft and spongy, and they called them 

 spongioles, supposing that it was by them that the plant 

 got food from the soil. We now know better, and know 

 that the means through which the plant takes food from 



