CHAPTER II. 

 SEEDS AND THEIR GERMINATION. 



BESIDES maintaining its own life, a plant's activity is directed 

 toward reproducing its like in the lives of others. One of the 

 most usual means of reproduction with which we are familiar 

 is the seed. Seeds may be very small, like those of orchids, 

 heaths, or Streptocarpus ; or large, like the acorn and coco-nut. 

 In each seed there is a tiny plant. Before the parent plant 

 sends her offspring out into the world to fend for itself, 

 the seeds are well provided with a nicely fitting coat and a 

 generous supply of food, which serves them until they are able 

 to make their own. The pine seed is provided with one thick 

 hard coat, the sunflower with a very thin papery one, but many 

 seeds have two, which fit so closely that when the seeds shed 

 their coats the two come off together. 



When seeds are soaked in water, the coats begin to swell. 

 In the bean they become wrinkled. As the water soaks in 

 farther the rest of the seed swells and fills the coat until it 

 bursts, and the embryo begins to make its way out. The seed 

 is said to germinate. This shows that the seed which was 

 so hard and dry is alive. It was alive all the time, but did not 

 grow. 



What made it begin to show life ? 



One of the simplest seeds to understand is the bean. It 

 is an old and useful friend. In order to make out the dif- 

 ferent parts of seeds, it is well to compare them with some 

 which have just begun germinating, for then the parts separate 

 more easily. For this purpose seeds may be put into a box of 

 clean sand. A biscuit-tin is good, but care should be taken 

 first to make holes in the bottom to insure drainage. 

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