CHAPTER III 

 THE PRODUCTION OF SEEDS 



Function and Use of Seeds. Every plant must be provided in 

 some way with a sure method of reproduction, or its kind would soon 

 pass out of existence. This is especially true in wild nature, where 

 the plant must care for itself, and is subject to all manner of competi- 

 tion from other plants and to adverse conditions. Most of our culti- 

 vated plants are produced from seeds, though a few are from cut- 

 tings, as orchard trees, or new plants are produced by runners, as in 

 the strawberry. 



The seed or fruit of plants is also the portion which we use 

 principally as food, for both men and animals. The plant stores up 

 energy as food for the young plant, as in the seed of wheat or the 

 tuber of potato. In certain root crops, as the turnip, food is stored 

 for a time in the enlarged root, to be later used in the production of 

 seed. In any case, we have come to rely on this stored food of the 

 plant, either in the seed, tuber, fruit, or root, as our principal source 

 of food for men and animals. 



Nature of Seeds. A seed may be regarded as a young plant, in a 

 dormant state, with a large supply of stored energy at hand ready 

 to be used when the time comes for growth. 



The seed consists essentially of three parts : (1) The young dor- 

 mant plants called the germ*. The germ constitutes 5 to 10 per cent 

 of the seed. (2) The stored food, called the endosperm in cereals, 

 or cotyledons in legumes. This part of the seed equals about 90 per 

 cent. (3) The seed-coats, a strong protective covering, equal to 

 about 3 or 4 per cent of the seed. In the cereals (wheat), the 

 germ is very rich in protein and minerals, and the endosperm is 

 mostly starchy, while in the legumes (bean) the whole seed is rich in 

 protein and starch. 



Preserving the Vitality of Seeds. Preserving the vitality of 

 seeds is a matter of the greatest importance if good crops are to be 

 produced. Dry s.eeds contain about 10 to 14 per cent moisture. When 



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