VII. GERMINATION OF SEEDS 



42. THE WATER FACTOR 



Object. To find how to make the embryo plant begin 

 to grow. 



Apparatus. Three tumblers or wide-mouth bottles, sawdust 

 or blotting paper, and seeds. 



Method. Fill three bottles with sawdust and plant in 

 them equal numbers of seeds of any sort. Label the bottles 

 A, B, C. 



Leave bottle A dry, using no water. Fill B with water 

 to wet the seeds and sawdust, and then lay it on its side until 



all superfluous water has 

 drained away. The seeds 

 in B will therefore be 

 damp but not saturated. 

 Fill C with water. Place 

 the three bottles side by 

 side where they receive 

 the same air, light, and 

 heat and let them stand 

 for three days. 



What result follows in 

 A, B, and C respectively? 

 Why? 



Conclusion. State the 

 effect of water on germination as shown by this experiment. 

 Query. Why do dry seeds stored in a bottle not sprout? 

 Why do seeds when stored in damp granaries often sprout ? 



58 



Dry. 



Damp. 

 FIG. 14. 



Saturated. 



