22 A YEAR IN AGRICULTURE 



PRACTICAL EXERCISES AND HOME PROJECTS 



1. The wheat grain. Examine grains of wheat that have 

 been soaked a few hours in water. The use of a hand lens 

 will assist in this examination. 



On one side of the grain note the deep furrow or crease. 

 On the opposite side at the bottom there is a small, rough, 

 circular spot called the embryo or germ. Within it are folded 

 the first root and leaves of the young wheat plant. The top 

 part of the grain is covered with tiny hairs which together 

 are called the brush. The base is the opposite end of the 

 grain. 



Cut one grain lengthwise with the crease and the other 

 across it. Note the color of the interior. Flour is made from 

 the interior portion of the grain. The grain is surrounded 

 by a hull which furnishes the bran. How many coats can 

 you find in this hull covering the grain? About seventy-five 

 per cent of the grain is made into flour, the rest is bran and 

 shorts or middlings. 



Draw cross and longitudinal sections of the wheat grain. 

 Draw also a whole grain, labeling the parts observed as 

 directed above. Keep a neat notebook record of all obser- 

 vations, facts noted, and drawings made. 



2. The head of wheat. If possible at this season, pro- 

 vide each student with a few heads of wheat. Let each 

 student examine the head of wheat closely, verifying the 

 statements and answering the questions below: 



The head of wheat is a spike. The central stem of the spike 

 is called the racliis. The racliis is notched on two sides and 

 from each of these notches there grows a very short stem or 

 spikelet, that has attached to it several bunches of small 

 husks containing seeds. How many grains to the spikelet? 

 There are two chaffy parts around each spikelet, called outer 

 glumes. Each kernel in the spikelet is enclosed on the out- 



