20 PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY MEANS OF SEEDS 



HOME PROJECTS AND FIELD AND LABORATORY EXERCISES 



1. Methods of Pollination should be studied in the apple, peach, plum 

 or cherry, and in the bush fruits. Also study the wild rose blossom as to the 

 relation of stamens and pistil. Make similar studies with peas, sweet peas, 

 beans, cucumber, tomato, okra, and all blossoming plants in the garden. 

 What ones seem to have plans to prevent self-pollination? 



2. Pollination by Insects. — Make a list of vegetables, fruits, ornamental 

 flowers, and weeds that are visited during the flowering stage by insects. 

 Which ones have nectar or are fragrant? Which ones attract insects by then- 

 color only? Mark those that have sticky, heavy pollen. 



3. Seed formation should be studied when blossoms are dropping their 

 petals and losing their bright colors. Examine all common vegetables and 

 fruits during this stage, and a little later as the seeds or fruits are developing. 



4. Food storage in seeds should be demonstrated by cutting open, dissect- 

 ing, or sectioning seeds of several different types, such as corn, beans, peas, 

 squash, apple, peach, etc. Test for starch by use of iodine applied to the cut 

 surface of corn. Test for oil by mashing peanuts, castor beans, and others rich 

 in oil. If mashed on white paper they will leave a grease spot. Test for sugar 

 by using Fehling's solution from a drug store. Sections heated in this solution 

 over a flame, wul turn an orange color, if glucose is present. Taste the prussic 

 acid in pits of peach, plum, and almond. 



5. Appearance of starch grains may be studied with a strong microscope. 



6. Choice of Seeds. — Practice the selection of seeds in the garden. Com- 

 pare plants from which seeds are to be saved, with others in the garden. Bear 

 in mind earliness, quality, smoothness, or other market characteristics, abun- 

 dance, resistance to disease, etc. 



7. Seeds for Market. — A good home project for students is to produce 

 seeds for market. Grow them, select, cure, store, label, prepare them for 

 market, advertise and sell them. 



8. Contest in Seed Saving. — Students may enter a contest to see which 

 ones can save the largest variety of garden seeds (1) from their home gardens, 

 (2) from the whole community. Compete for first, second, and third places in 

 the contest. Get enough of each kind to plant a small home garden. 



9. Testing samples of seeds for germinating power is a good exercise for 

 winter or any other season before planting. Examine the same samples for 

 signs of age, insect injury, etc. 



10. Identify impurities found in the samples, and calculate losses if seeds 

 were used having these impurities. 



11. State regulations regarding purity of seeds should be obtained from 

 the state experiment station or the secretary of agriculture. Compare the 

 results in exercise No. 9 with the legal requirements. 



QUESTIONS 



1. Enumerate three reasons for the production of seeds. 



2. What is the relation between flowers and seeds? 



3. Explain what is meant by the terms monoecious, dioecious, and perfect 



flowers. 



4. Mention four plans in nature to prevent self-pollination. 



5. What are the characteristics of flowers that are pollinated by insects? By 



wind? 



6. Mention some plants that bear seeds under ground. What plan in nature 



provides for this? 



7. What classes of food are sometimes stored in seeds? 



8. Of what use is this food to the plant? To animals? 



