THE SEED. 151 



A DICOTYLED'ONOUS embryo has two cotyledons 

 or seed-leaves (Fig. 260). 



These are long, hard words, hard to pronounce, 

 and hard to spell. But they are very necessary words 

 in describing seeds. You can soon learn them. 



Go over the seeds you have planted, and point 

 out the dicotyledons. Show the two thick leaves 

 that were packed within the seed-coat when the seed 

 ripened ? 



Are any of your seeds monocotyledonous ? If 

 so, which? 



Figs. 259 and 260 were drawn from plants that 

 had grown a little. When your seeds have also grown 

 a little, compare them one after another with these 

 pictures. Look at your young bean-plant. Find the 

 first node above the cotyledons. How many leaves 

 are growing there ? how many at the first node of 

 the corn-stem ? how many in each of your growing 

 seeds ? 



Observe whether the cotyledons in all cases rise 

 into the light and air. Observe whether all cotyle- 

 dons are shaped alike, and also whether they resem- 

 ble the true leaves of the plant. Write carefully in 

 your note-book the decision you have made in this 

 exercise about each of your seeds. You will have 

 occasion to refer to it as soon as your plants have put 

 forth perfect full-grown leaves.* 



* A word of caution may not here be amiss. There is danger 

 that the sympathy of teachers with bright and interested pupils 

 will lead them to tell in advance what children can find out for 

 themselves by continued observation. The connection between 

 number of cotyledons and venation is an instance of such temp- 



