CHAPTER II 



THE SEED, GERMINATION AND THE 

 PL ANT LET 



THE earliest stages of plant growth occur in the seed, 

 and therefore this is an appropriate place to begin our 

 study. The student should follow through some of these 

 discussions by watching the germination of beans, peas, 

 corn, wheat or other seeds. 



26. Seeds absorb water when placed in contact with it. 

 If we fill a bottle with air-dry beans, then pour in all 

 the tepid water the bottle will contain, taking care to 

 shake out the air bubbles, and place the bottle in a warm 

 room, the beans will soon swell until they have pressed 

 each other quite out of shape, and no water will be forced 

 out of the bottle. This shows that the beans have ab- 

 sorbed the water and have swollen in consequence. The 

 quality of absorbing water by contact, at ordinary tem- 

 peratures, is possessed to a greater or less extent by most 

 seeds, and indeed by nearly all air-dry vegetable material. 

 It is unnecessary that the seeds be covered with water 

 to enable them to absorb it. If in contact with any moist 

 medium, as a damp cloth or damp earth, they will absorb 

 moisture and swell. 



27. The rate at which seeds absorb water depends 

 upon the following conditions : 



14 



