SEEDS AND FRUITS 157 



blunt angles may be seen to run from 

 the base to the apex. Draw. 

 b. Measure the circumference, length, and 

 diameter. Place in a bucket of water. 

 Does it float? Will the stripped nut 

 float? Plunge the fruit into a bucket 

 exactly filled with water. Remove and 

 refill the bucket. The amount of water 

 necessary to refill the bucket will be the 

 volume of the fruit. Many of the fruits 

 drop from the trees into tlie water of 

 streams, ponds, and tides, and are carried 

 long distances before they lodge and ger- 

 minate. The planters place the fruits in 

 the margins of salt lagoons and marshes, 

 and the salt is supposed to hasten the 

 process of germination. 



II. Structure. 



Cut through a fruit crosswise by means of a 

 sharp saw, and note : — 

 a. The husk, the outer layer of which is smooth 

 and firm, while the mass is composed of 

 strong fibres and 2^ith. Observe the at- 

 tachment of the husk to the shell. 



