38 A LABORATORY MANUAL OF BOTANY 
LESSON XxX 
The storage of food in seeds 
Materials.—Seeds of corn, oats, beans, sunflowers, apple, 
hickory, cockle-bur, and of such others as may be conve- 
niently obtained. 
Observation and study.—Open the seeds and observe the 
amount of material stored within. Test for the presence of 
starch. The stored food may be starch, oil, or other sub- 
stances, consequently the absence of starch does not prove 
that there is no food present. Do most of the seeds contain 
starch? What plants store most food in their seeds? 
Make the following tests to determine the nourish- 
ing power of the food stored in various seeds: After soak- 
ing seeds from a number of plants in warm water for 
a few hours, plant some of each kind in clean sawdust, on 
blotting-paper, in a clean dish, and in rich earth. Water 
them with distilled water, keep them covered, and as near- 
ly uniform as to moisture, light, and temperature as pos- 
sible. 
Tabulate accurately the following points, using three col- 
umns for each kind of seed, one column to represent what 
occurs in each place where seeds are planted: 
When seeds are planted. 
When plants begin to appear. 
When roots and leaves are developed. 
Size and number of leaves. 
Relative length and size of stalks and roots developed. 
When plants begin to decline in vigor. 
When most of the plants die. 
From these daily observations determine how long seeds 
may furnish nourishment to the young plants, and which 
of these studied can nourish their young plantlets longest 
without other nourishment. 
