THE SEEDLING ii 



sperm, however, is distinctly separated from the 

 embryo by a shield-like structure called the scutel- 

 LUM (sc). In dhan the endosperm with the embryo 

 forms the seed, and the testa or its covering is reduced 

 to a mere thin white or reddish pellicle. The husk 

 enclosing the seed is really no part of the seed, but 

 is a case for protecting the seed. In fact, unhusked 

 Rice is not a seed, but a fruit enclosing a seed within 

 it. The structure of the grains of bhutta or Maize, 

 gahm or Wheat, job or Barleyj agrees in all essential 

 respects with that of dhan. Note carefully the fact 

 that all these seeds contain only one cotyledon in 

 their embryo, whereas the seeds mentioned above, 

 namely, Gram, Castor-seed, Pea, Mango, &c., contain 

 two cotyledons in their embryo. 



Plants have been divided into two big classes, called 

 DICOTYLEDONS and MONOCOTYLEDONS, according as 

 their sefeds bear two cotyledons or one in their em- 

 bryo. Speaking morphologically, this difference in 

 sefeds is fundamental, because the two classes of plants 

 formed on this basis differ not only in the number of 

 their cotyledons, but also in the structure of their 

 roots, stems, leaves, and flowers, as will be seen 

 later on. 



CHAPTER III 



THE SEEDLING 



When seeds are sown, a young plant or seedling 

 is seen to come out of each of them. This is known 

 as GERMINATION. In Order to study the process of 

 germination, sow Gram and Rice on a seed-bed and 

 watch them day after day. In Gram the radicle 



