THE A WAKENING OF THE SEED 



55 



which develops at just the right time and place to do its 

 peculiar work of helping the plant to get rid of its 

 seed -covers. Could the squash get out of its covers 

 without the aid of the "peg"? Cut off the "peg" or slip 

 the cover up above it, and see what happens. What 

 would happen if the seed were placed vertically instead 

 of horizontally? Try it and see. The seeds should be 



44. Squash seeds arranged for germination experiment. 



firmly pinned (at the large end) to vertical strips of 

 wood (as shown in Fig. 44), which are nailed to a 

 wooden block and placed in a pan. A little water 

 should be poured into the pan and a glass cover placed 

 on it to prevent the moisture from escaping. The 

 seeds should be well soaked before being put in posi- 

 tion. Some may be placed with the pointed end up, 

 others with the pointed end down, and still others with 



