6 NATURE TEACHING 



Germination. 



When a gardener or farmer sows seeds, he takes 

 care to proceed in such a manner in preparing the soil 

 and placing the seeds in it as previous experience has 

 shown him produces the best results. It is well, then, 

 that we should learn what takes place during germina- 

 tion, in order that we may know what conditions are 

 essential to success. 



If on alternate days a few seeds of various kinds of 

 beans are planted in moist soil, and this is continued 

 until those first planted have developed into small 

 plants some four or five inches high, an ample supply 

 of material may be to hand for purposes of study. 



Take a bean, which has been soaked in water but 

 not planted, remove the seed-coat, separate the cotyle- 

 dons, and bring into view the body lying between them. 

 Next, dig up carefully one or two of each of the beans of 

 different ages and compare them with the ungerminated 

 seed. There will be no difficulty in recognising that 

 germination produces changes whereby that portion of 

 the embryo known as the radicle develops into the root, 

 whilst the plumule becomes the stem with its leaves. The 

 cotyledons become smaller and smaller as the develop- 

 ment of the young plant proceeds, the stores of food 

 which they contain being used by this young plant to 

 build up its own structures. 



This is one of the simplest methods of germination ; 

 but we should observe that the young and tender plant 

 has certain definite objects to attain. The plantlet 

 must get out of the seed-coat, and it must be able to 



