20 NATURE TEACHING 



a hole has been made in this to permit of drainage the 

 pot is ready for use. 



Observations on Seedlings. 



The pupils should sow all, or at any rate the greater 

 number, of the seeds in the list below, the teacher 

 deciding according to circumstances whether they are 

 to be sown in boxes, pots, or beds. All the various stages 

 in their germination must be watched, and the observa- 

 tions recorded in suitable note-books, drawings, even if 

 only roughly diagrammatic, being insisted on. As 

 germination proceeds a few of the seeds should be 

 removed at intervals for purposes of study and observa- 

 tion. At this stage of the pupils' work the object is not 

 to raise crops, but to understand how crops grow. The 

 observations recorded should determine the method of 

 emergence of the young plant, the curves assumed by 

 the young root and stem, the manner in which the coty- 

 ledons are disposed, whether the seed is albuminous or 

 exalbuminous, and, if the latter, how the reserve of food 

 material is absorbed by the -growing plant. Careful 

 attention should be given to any special contrivances to 

 enable the young plant to escape from the seed-coat, and 

 the existence of any special means whereby the seed- 

 coat is held down by the soil while the young plant is 

 being withdrawn. 



Upon examining seed beds containing germinating 

 seeds, it may often be noticed that a few of the young 

 plants do not germinate properly. They may fail to rid 

 themselves of their seed-coats or meet with other 

 untoward experiences. These cases, in particular, 



