VI 



INTRODUCTORY LESSONS. 



your first lessons from plants which have larger beginnings. You should 

 first study 



2. The Plant in the seed. Get many kinds of large seeds, such as 

 peas, beans, squash-seeds, buckeyes, castor beans, corn, etc. Put them 

 in water that they may become soft enough to be readily separated into 

 their parts. In a day or two starchy seeds, such as peas or beans, will be 

 in good condition. 



3. First take a bean and make drawings showing the outlines as seen 

 sidewise and edgewise. Any marks that seem to be found on all beans 

 must be put down in the drawing, but do not bother about the shading. 

 These attempts to represent what you see will lead to the discovery of 

 certain marks on the concave edge of the bean, the meaning of which 

 you may sometime learn by studying the growth of the seed in the pod. 

 After you have thus studied the outside of the seed, slit it along the back 

 with a sharp knife and take out the kernel. It readily splits into halves 

 which are held together near one end by a short stem. Upon breaking 

 them apart the stem sticks to one half, and you discover growing from the 

 inner end a pair of tiny embracing-leaves. Make another drawing and 

 compare it with Fig. 7. Presently it will be 



clear to you that this entire kernel is a little 

 plant. The plant in this dry apparently lifeless 

 first stage of its existence is called 



4. The Embryo, or Germ. This, as you have 

 seen, is made up of the stem, or Radicle ; the 

 thick parts called Cotyledons, and the two-leaved 7 



i -i r>7 7 mi i f ' 7. One cotyledon of a bean wim 



bud, Or Plumule. The embryo Of a pea IS Sim- the radicle and large plumule. 8. 



i i 1 1 i t* i itit t t Eintorvo of ft P6<inut. ct. inii^r sid.6 



ilar to that or a bean, but the plumule is more O f one cotyledon with the radicle 

 decidedly a bud. Fig. 8 represents the straight ^ e plumule; *' uter sid 

 embryo of a peanut. The radicle is not bent around against the cotyle- 

 dons as in the pea and bean, and the plumule shows two divided leaflets. 

 The cotyledons of the squash are thin and the plumule is scarcely visible. 

 Lupine, though its seeds resemble beans, has a long radicle and a minute 

 plumule. The buckeye seems to have a long radicle, but since it splits 

 nearly to its point, where you will find a large plumule, it is evident that 

 the apparent radicle is mostly made up of the cotyledon stems (petioles). 



