40 Principles of Plant Culture. 



54. The Plantlet is Visible in the Seed. If we boil seeds 

 of the four kinds shown in Figs. 8 to 11, or of other 

 kinds, in water until they are fully swollen, and then 

 carefully dissect them with the forceps and needle, using 

 the magnifying glass when necessary, we may observe 

 that the plantlet is present compactly folded up in the 

 seed. Germination (28) is really little more than the 

 unfolding and expansion of this plantlet. The pl^itlet 

 as it exists in the seed is called the embryo (em'-bry-o). 



55. The Endosperm* (en'-do-sperm). From the sec- 

 tion of the corn grain shown in Fig. 14, it appears that 

 in this seed, unlike the pea, bean and pumpkin, the 



FIG. 14. Cross-section of germinating Indian corn grain. A endo- 

 sperm; Cot cotyledon; Can hypocotyl; PI plumule. Slightly magnified. 

 (After Frank). 



plantlet and seed- case do not make up the whole bulk of 

 the seed. The remaining part shown at A, consists 

 mainly of cells containing starch grains and oil drops, 

 which serve as food for the plantlet during germination, 



Called also albumen. 



