COMPOSITION OP ftANT ASS 



15 



2. Percentage Composition op Ash. 



Manganese was an ingredient of this ash, though not mentioned in the table. 



Germination.— A seed is constructed with the pur- 

 pose of developing a young plant. It contains the 

 *' embryo," or germ, which is always extremely rich 

 in albuminoids, fat, phosphates, and potash. It also 

 contains a store of concentrated plant food, intended 

 to nourish the young plant till its root and leaf are 

 developed. In some seeds, as those of beans and 

 turnips, this store of food is chiefly located in the 

 "cotyledons," or rudimentary leaves; in other seeds, 

 as those of the cereals, there is a reserve of food 

 outside the embryo, in the "endosperm." In the 

 seeds of the .cereals, and of many other plants, the 

 chief ingredient of the reserve matter is starch. 



