LABORATORY PRACTICE 



1. How many seed-coats can you find ? 



2. Is endosperm present? 



3. If so, of what character is it? 



4. What parts of the embryo are present? - 



5. How is the embryo packed away within the seed-coats? 



X. Take a grain of Corn, softened and well swollen out by 

 prolonged soaking, and notice : 



1. Its size. 



2. Its shape. 



3. At which end it was attached to the cob. 



4. The differences between the two broader sides, viz. that 



on one side there is an indented tongue-shaped area 

 wanting on the other. This tongue-shaped area indi- 

 cates the position of the embryo. 



5. At the top of the indented area there is either a small 



hole or a short fibre present, the remains or the point 

 of attachment of a strand of "corn-silk." 



6. Make sketches to show these points. 



XI. Cut a grain of Corn into two pieces, in a median lon- 

 gitudinal plane, perpendicular to the broader surfaces. On 

 one of the cut surfaces, notice : 



i. The outer thin skin. This is more complex than the 

 coverings of the Bean, for the grain of Corn is not 

 merely a seed, but a one-seeded fruit, and the outer 

 covering is made up not only of two seed-coats, but 

 also of several layers belonging to the ovary or sack 

 in which the seed is formed. Therefore the micro- 

 pyle, rhaphe, chalaza, etc., are covered up, and the 

 place where the grain was attached to the cob does 

 not correspond to the hilum. 



