NATURE STUDY MADE EASY 



13 



LESSON V 



SEEDS 



A seed is a wonderful little thing. It is often very tiny, and yet 

 it contains within itself the beginning or germ of every part of the 

 plant. There are the tiny root, the tiny stem, the tiny leaves, all 

 so small that we can hardly see them. The mighty oak is con- 

 tained in the shell of a tiny acorn. The great maple is hidden in 

 the wing of the maple seed. 



Just drop a seed in the ground. Give it warmth, air, and 

 moisture, and then it has all it needs for growth. Some seeds, like 

 the orange and banana, require more warmth 

 than others, and will only grow to perfection 

 in warm countries. When the seed becomes 

 warm enough, it absorbs the moisture, 

 swells, and bursts its tough coat, and soon 

 the baby plant sends down a root into the 

 ground and a stem into the air. 



Seeds are divided into two great classes. 

 One has inside of the seed coat only one 

 seed lobe, or cotyledon, like the wheat. The 

 other has inside the seed coat two seed 

 lobes, or cotyledons, like the pea or bean. 

 If we soak a bean in water and cause it to 

 swell and thus burst the outer coat, we will A SPROUTING PEA 



