OUTLINES OF BOTANY 



oXWo 



I. LABORATORY STUDIES OF SEEDS AND 

 SEEDLINGS 



A seed comes to the ground, lodges in a crevice of tlie 

 earth, is warmed by the sun and wet by tlie rain, and 

 after a time a new plant, the seedling, appears. 



a. To what extent is the new plant already formed 

 within the seed before germination begins '' 



h. What provision is made in the seed, in the way of 

 , food, for the growth of the seedling and its estab- 

 lisliment as an inde[)endent individual '! 



c. What internal processes at the time of germination 



may be detected by suitable experimeids? 



d. By wliat steps does the nascent plant (cinhryo'y (h^- 



velop and attain to a life of self-support'/ 



These are tlie general ([iiestious wliicli the student is 

 asked to answer for himself in tlie studies outlined in this 

 chapter. The first exercises deal with the seed before 

 germination, and the later ones with the seedling, that is, 

 with the germination of the -embryo and subsequent 

 events. 



THE SEED 



Exercise I. The Eimhryo; its Forji and Condition previous 



TO GEltMINATION 



Castor Bean. — Beginning at the smaller end of the seed, cut away 

 the hard outer coat, or inter/mnent, without injuring the contents, or 

 kernel. Run the point of a knife around tlie edge of the kernel, then 

 split the halves apart. 



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