SEEDS And germinatio:^ 



2> 



periment in the wind. Remove the 

 wing from a seed and toss it and an 

 uninjured seed into the air together. / 

 What do you infer from these ex- 

 periments .'' 



Suggestions. — Few subjects con- 

 nected with the study of plant-life are so 



usefu) in schoolroom demonstrations as 



germination. The pupil should prepare 



the soil, plant the seeds, water them, and 



care for the plants. 10. Plant seeds in 



pots or shallow boxes. The box should 



not be very wide or long, and not over 



four inches deep. Holes may be bored 



in the bottom so it will not hold water. 



Plant a number of squash, bean, corn, 



pine, or other seeds about an inch deep 



in damp sand or pine sawdust in this 



box. The depth of planting should be 



two to four times the diameter of the 



seeds. Keep the sand or sawdust moist 



but not wet. If the class is large, use 



several boxes, that the supply of speci- 

 mens may be ample. Cigar boxes and 



chalk boxes are excellent for individual 



pupils. It is well to begin the planting 



of seeds at least ten days in advance of 



the lesson, and to make four or five differ- 

 ent plantings at intervals. A day or two 



before the study is taken up, put seeds 



to soak in moss or cloth. The pupil 



then has a series from swollen seeds to 



complete germination, and all the steps can be made out. Dry 

 seeds should be had for comparison. If there is no special room 

 for laboratory, nor duplicate apparatus for every pupil, each ex- 

 periment may be assigned to a committee of two pupils to watch 

 in the schoolroom. 11. Good seeds for study are those detailed 

 in the lesson, and buckwheat, pumpkin, cotton, morning glory, 

 radish, four o'clock, oats, wheat. It is best to use famihar seeds 

 of farm and garden. Make drawings and notes of all the events 

 in the germination. Note the effects of unusual conditions, as 

 planting too deep and too shallow and different sides up. For 

 hypogeal germination, use the garden pea, scarlet-runner, or Dutch 



Fir.. 29.— Cones of Hem- 

 lock (above), White 

 Pine, Pitch Pine. 



