40 



Principles of Plant Culture. 



the air is kept very moist and the surface of the soil 

 never becomes dry. 



53. The Plantlet is Visible in the Seed. If we boil 

 seeds of the four kinds shown in Figs. 8 to 11, or of 

 other kinds, in water until they are fully swollen, and 

 then carefully dissect them, using a magnifying glass 

 when necessary, we may observe that the plantlet is 

 present, compactly folded up in the seed. Germination 



Fig. 14. Cross-section of germinating Indian corn grain. A endo- 

 sperm ; Cot cotyledon ; Can hypocotyl ; PI plumule. Slightly magnified. 

 (After Frank.) 



(28) is really little more than the unfolding and ex- 

 pansion of this plantlet. The plantlet as it exists in 

 the seed is called the embryo (em'-bry-o). 



54. The Endosperm* (en'-do-sperm). From the sec- 

 tion of the corn grain shown in Fig 14, it appears that 

 in this seed, unlike the pea, bean and pumpkin, the 

 plantlet and seed-case do not make up the whole bulk of 

 the seed. The remaining part shown at A, consists 



* Called also albumen. 



