8 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JULY 
NOTCHING CORKS AND MOUNTING SEEDLINGS 
The bottles used in these cultures are made of flint glass, have a 
capacity of about 250 cc., a total height of 100 mm., an outside diam- 
eter of 70 mm. at the bottom, a neck about 20 mm. high, and a mouth 
57mm. in diameter. This bottle is stoppered by means of a soft, 
flat cork about 12mm. in thickness and notched for holding the 
seedlings. ‘The method of notching these corks consists in cutting 
ten vertical, triangular wedges from the circumference. Each wedge 
after being cut out is truncated, so that when replaced a small tri- 
angular opening, through which the plumule of the seedling will pass, 
2.—Method of germinating wheat seedlings on aluminum disks, which are 
floated in an enameled tank; disk to right elevated to show the plant roots. 
is formed. This hole should be large enough to hold the seedling 
firmly and yet not bruise or injure it in any way by pressure. Around 
the circumference of the cork and in the upper half a groove is made 
sufficiently large to hold a small rubber band. After the wedges are 
inserted, the band keeps them in place and allows the cork with the 
seedlings to be handled readily and put into or taken out of the bottle 
without disturbing the plants. The seedlings are most easily inserted 
in the cork in the following manner: The cork with the ten wedges 
held in place by the rubber band is taken in the left hand and the seed- 
ling in the right hand. The plumule is pushed through the small, 
triangular opening, and then pulled up until the seed is close against 
the cork. When older seedlings, in which the leaves have unfolded 
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