134 THE NATURE AND WORK OF PLANTS 



The main stem dies at the close of the season, 

 leaving the tubers in the soil, and if each were 

 capable of giving rise to one plant alone, the parent 

 plant would be followed by a dozen or more the 

 next season. This does not express the full repro- 

 ductive power of the tubers, however. In the plant- 

 ing of " seed" potatoes to obtain a crop, the farmer 

 cuts the tubers into pieces each of which contains an 

 " eye " and is capable of giving rise to a new plant. 

 As a consequence the tubers of a single plant may be 

 capable of producing over a hundred new individuals. 



Secure a large, sound potato in January and put 

 it in the mouth of a large bottle filled with water, 

 or a cup or tumbler, cover with a glass dish and set 

 in a living room. Renew the water and clean the 

 bottle occasionally. Note the manner in which the 

 buds begin to grow and their location. Do all 

 the buds awake ? If several experiments have been 

 set up, you can awaken the sleeping buds by destroy- 

 ing the active ones. Are new roots formed on the 

 tuber or on the stems? Observe the behavior of 

 potatoes which have sprouted in a dark cellar. 



185. Bulbils and hulhlets. — It has been shown 

 how the underground branch enclosed in a bud 



