302 



NATURE-STUDY 



The older children should make a simple dissection of 

 the seed and learn the function of seed coats, seed leaves, 

 rootlet, and bud. They should understand that seeds are 

 young plants given a store of food as a start in life by the 

 mother plant. They should compare the sprouting of dif- 

 ferent kinds of seeds, and note the inter- 

 esting ways in which a seedling gets 

 out of the seed coat. 



The germination of seeds can be very 

 well seen in special vessels for the pur- 

 pose, called germinators. A simple form 

 consists of a deep and narrow box with 

 glass sides. Fill with soil or sawdust 

 and place the seeds close to the glass. 

 Darken the sides with opaque paper. 

 After a time the paper may be removed 

 and the sprouting seeds may be seen. 

 Another form consists of two sheets of 

 glass, with cotton between them. A 

 black paper or cloth over the cotton sets 

 the seeds off well. Keep the cotton moist. 

 A simple germinator is made of a tum- 

 bler treated in a similar manner. A 

 very pretty way to show the germination 

 of small seeds, such as radish, etc., is to place a piece of 

 flannel or blotter in a saucer. Place the seeds upon this, and 

 cover with a tumbler, slightly raised at one side to admit 

 air. Keep the blotter moist and the seeds will soon show 

 the cotyledons and the root, the latter all covered with a 

 glistening fuzz of root-hairs by means of which the root ab- 

 sorbs moisture. 



Fig. io8. An Experiment. 



One of the bean seedlingfS has 

 its cotyledons removed and 

 does not grow as fast as the 

 other. 



