54 



THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



but to one side of the first. Thus at different depths plant a 

 dozen seed, which will be set spirally around the bottle. 

 Now cover from the light, and leave in a warm place. When 

 the seeds sprout, watch to see which of them is best able to 

 make a strong plant. 



This experiment will be more successful if it can be carried on 

 in a box with one glass side. If each sprouting plant is given 

 free room at the top, the whole can be more easily studied. 



FIG. 33. Seedlings of bean, with their cotyledons. 



We can make sure, as we study the growth of these plants, 

 that it is easily possible to plant too deep, and that a long 

 struggle to reach the surface will weaken a plant. But are 

 the best depths the same for all plants ? 



This can be answered by repeating the experiment with 

 different seeds, best with corn, peas (not beans), lettuce, 

 and radish, putting one of each at a half inch, an inch, and 

 two inches below the surface. We shall discover two things : 

 First, the smaller the seed, the less able is it to climb from a 

 depth, and the weaker is the plant when it has succeeded. 

 Second, those with large cotyledons have the better chance 

 when deep planted. And this leads us to a new study. 



