RAISING. SEEDLINGS. 15 



'2. Put A, B and C away side by side, 

 preferably in a dark place, examine day by 

 day and it should be found that in A the 

 seeds do not germinate ;it all ; they have no 

 water and very little air. In B the seeds have 

 water but again very little air, they will prob- 

 ably germinate and grow for a short time, 

 and then, having exhausted the air, die. The 

 seeds in C have water, and, the bottle being 

 open, air also. They should germinate and 

 grow well. The experiment has so far shown 

 the necessity of water and air. 



3. In the tropics it is not easy to show 

 the influence of cold ; this may be attempted, 

 however, by putting the bottle D, the seeds 

 in which have both water and air, in an ice- 

 chest, when it will probably be found that 

 germination is either completely arrested or 

 greatly delayed. 



RAISING SEEDLINGS. 



1. Observations are readily made on 

 seeds sown in boxes. For this purpose it is 

 necessary to provide suitable boxes and mate- 

 rial. The boxes should be shallow, from 4 to 

 6 inches in depth, with sides securely fastened 

 so that they will bear the weight of the moist 

 soil. A number of holes, about half 'an inch 



