THE AWAKENING OF THE SEED 



23 



Dyes, at drug- stores) or ordinary red ink answers ad- 

 mirably. Dissolve enough in water to make it bright 

 red, and then submerge the seeds in the solution; it 

 is well to use a good many seeds and to remove 

 some every few minutes and take 

 off the covers to see how far the 

 water has penetrated. ^ Do you 

 find that the water penetrates first 

 at the opening ? In what direction 

 does it spread inside the seed? 

 What external indications do you 

 see of this in the Bean (Fig. 14)? 

 Trace it with especial care in the 

 Walnut and Pecan. Although 

 in these nuts the contact between 

 the germ and the cover is small, 

 yet this is offset by an absorb- 

 ent, wick- like, central strand which takes up water 

 directly from the opening and from which water 

 spreads out into the broad partitions which are in con- 

 tact with the folds and surfaces of the germ; the 

 caulicle lies at the end of the fibrous, wick -like strand 

 (Fig. 24). 



We shall probably find that the coloring matter 

 will not penetrate into the germ, although the water 

 does; the method is only trustworthy as showing the 



1 The seed should be washed and wiped with a cloth to remove the dye. 

 Eosin stains may be removed from hands and colorless fabric by Javelle water 

 (obtainable at druggists') or by bleaching powder (obtainable at grocers' J. 



Walnut divided in half, 

 showing the wick-like, cen- 

 tral strand (s) by which the 

 water travels through the 

 seed to the caulicle and the 

 broad absorbent plates by 

 means of which it spreads. 



