LESSON XI 



SEEDS 



Contents of a seed. Most farm plants are grown 

 from seeds. A seed contains a tiny plant, called the 

 germ or embryo, and a supply of food to nourish the 

 little plant until it can send its roots into the soil and 

 gather its own food. The seed is covered with a 

 tough, hard coat to protect it from injury. Notice 

 the skin of a bean and the shell of a squash or acorn. 

 Sometimes the outer cover of a seed is thick and very 

 hard, like that of the walnut 

 or hickory nut. 



Parts of a seed. If you 

 soak a bean for several hours, 

 and then break the seed coat, 

 you can readily see the main 

 parts pf the germ or embryo. 

 Between the two halves of 

 the bean is a little sproutlike 

 body which is called the axis 

 of the embryo. When the 

 seed sprouts, one end of the axis grows downward and 

 becomes a root, while the other end grows upward 

 and develops into stem and leaves. At the end which 



GERMINATING BEAN 



B. AND D. AG. 4 



49 



