SEEDS 



73 



Experiment. Fill some tumblers or teacups or 

 tin cans with wet sand and others with clay that 

 has been wet and then thoroughly stirred till it is 

 about the consistency of cake batter or fresh mixed 

 mortar. Take a tumbler of the wet sand and one 

 of the wet' clay and plant two or three kernels of 

 corn in each, pressing the kernels down one-half 

 or three-quarters of an inch below the surface ; 

 cover the seeds and carefully smooth the surface. 

 In other tumblers plant peas, beans, and other seeds. 

 Cover the tumblers with saucers, or pieces of glass 

 or board to keep the soil from drying. Watch them 

 for several days. If the clay tends to-dry and crack, 

 moisten it, fill the cracks and smooth the surface. 

 The seeds in the sand will sprout but those in the 

 clay will not (see Fig. 38). Why is this? Water 

 fills the small spaces between the particles of clay 

 and shuts out the fresh air which is necessary for 

 the sprouting of the seeds. 



This teaches us that when we plant seeds we 

 must so prepare the soil, and so plant the seeds 

 that they will get enough fresh air to enable them 

 to sprout, or, in other words, the soil must be well 

 ventilated. 



Experiment. Plant seeds of corn and beans in 

 each of two tumblers ; set one out of doors in a cold 

 place and keep the other in a warm place in the 

 house. The seeds kept in the house will sprout 

 quickly but those outside in the cold will not sprout 

 at all. This shows us that seeds will not sprout 

 without heat. 



