6 NATURE TEACHING. 



various kinds of beans are planted in moist 

 soil and the process is continued until those 

 first planted have developed into small plants 

 four or five inches high, there will be provided 

 an ample supply of material for purposes of 

 study. 



3. Now, take a bean, which has been 

 soaked in water but not planted, remove the 

 seed-coat, separate the cotyledons and biing 

 into view the body lying between them. Next, 

 dig up carefully one or two of each of the 

 beans of different ages and compare them 

 with the un -germ mated seed. There will be 

 no difficulty in recognising that germination 

 produces changes whereby that portion of the 

 embryo known as the radicle develops into the 

 root, whilst the plumule becomes the stem 

 with its leaves. The cotyledons become smaller 

 and smaller as the development of the young 

 plant proceeds, the stores of food which they 

 contain being used by this young plant to 

 build up its owa structures. 



4. This is one of the simplest methods 

 of germination, but we should observe that the 

 young and tender plant has certain definite 

 objects to attain. The plantlet must get out 

 of the seed-coat, and it must be able to force 

 its way through the soil in which the seed is 

 sown. 



