12 



ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE 



for themselves directly from the soil. Make this 

 experiment : From soaked beans or kernels of corn, 

 cut away about two-thirds of this food matter, being 



very careful not to injure the 

 embryos, and watch the 

 sprouting of what remains. 

 These sprouts will wither 

 and die much sooner than 

 those from perfect seeds, be- 

 cause not enough nourish- 

 ment is left to supply them 

 with food until they are 

 large enough to get it from 

 the soil. This should teach 

 us that we cannot be too 

 careful in the selection of 

 large, well developed seeds 

 if we wish strong, healthy 

 plants and, consequently, 

 good crops. 



Every farmer's child must have noticed how pota- 

 toes shrivel up when they sprout in the cellar. This 

 is due to the fact that the young sprout uses up a 

 part of the potato as food for its own growth. 



Necessity of Moisture, Heat, Air, and Light. But 

 there are other things necessary for the growth of 

 plants. Grain rarely grows in the bin or stack, and 

 if it does, you will say that it is because the grain 

 is too wet. Moisture, then, is another requisite for 

 plant growth. But even wet grain fails to grow in 

 the winter time because heat is necessary. Neither 



Drawing from life, show- 

 ing effect of cutting away a 

 portion of the cotyledons on 

 the growth of the plant. The 

 same results will be obtained 

 by using small and large 

 seeds. Try it. 



