14 Fruits and Seeds 



Taking a broad bean, which is conveniently large, as 

 a typical seed we will now look at it closely. If it has 

 been soaking in water for 12 24 hours you will find 

 that it has sucked up quite a lot of water. On com- 

 paring it with a bean that has not been soaked you 

 will see that it is about twice the size of the other 

 one, and that instead of being shrivelled up and hard 

 it is quite plump with the water it has sucked up. Do 

 you see the black scar on one side? this is where a 

 stalk fastened it into the pod. Now squeeze the bean 

 gently. A drop of water oozes out of a small hole near 

 one end of the scar. Notice exactly where the hole is. 

 Although it exists in every seed it is only in a big seed 

 like the bean that you can see it without the help of a 

 lens. It is through this hole that water and air will 

 reach the germinating plant. When the young root 

 begins to grow its tip presses right against this hole. 

 As it grows it splits the skin round the hole until there 

 is room for it to come through. 



PRACTICAL WORK. 



1. Draw (exactly four times its natural size) a broad bean which 

 has been soaked. Mark the scar and the hole through which the 

 root will grow. Draw an unsoaked bean to the same scale. 



2. Take the skin off the soaked bean. Cut one of the fleshy 

 halves carefully off, so as not to injure the young plant. Draw half 

 the bean (enlarged four times) in the same position as last time, 

 showing the young plant. Mark the larger end 'root,' and the 

 smaller * shoot.' Notice that the root end points exactly where the 

 hole in the skin was. 



3. Draw an acorn twice natural size, (i) in its cup, (ii) out of its 

 cup. 



4. Scrape part of the shell off. Describe in writing each different 

 layer you find. 



