82 



FIRST LESSONS WITH PLANTS 



FK;. 80. 



seed -leaves are backing out of the seed. Fig. 78 

 shows the seed a day later. The root has now 

 produced many branches, and has thor- 

 oughly established itself in the soil. 

 The top is also growing rapidly, and 

 is still backing out of the seed, and 

 the seed -coats are still firmly held by 

 The plant lib- the obstinate peg. 



e Te e e d d f coa^ he 104 ' In the meantime, the plant- 

 lets which we have not disturbed have 

 been coming through the soil. If we were to see 

 the plant in Fig. 78 as it was "coming up," it 

 would look like Fig. 79. It is tugging away try- 

 ing to get its head out of the bonnet which is 

 pegged down underneath the soil. In 

 Fig. 80 it has escaped from its trap. 

 It must now straighten itself up, as it 

 is doing in Fig. 81, and it is soon 

 standing stiff and straight, as in Fig. 



72. We now see that the reason why 

 the seed came up on the plantlet in Fig. 



73, is because in some way the peg 



did not hold the seed -coats down (see pio 81 

 Fig. 84) , and the expanding leaves are The plant 

 pinched together, and they must get straightening 

 themselves loose as best they can. 



105. There is another thing about this squash 

 plant which we must not fail to notice, and this 



