THE SEED AND ITS GERMINATION 11 
10. Other Proofs of Chemical Action. — Besides the proof 
of chemical changes in germinating seeds just described, 
there are other kinds of evidence to the same effect. 
Malt, which is merely sprouted barley with its germi- 
nation permanently stopped at the desired point by the 
application of heat, tastes differently from the unsprouted 
grain, and can be shown by chemical tests to have suffered 
a variety of changes. If you can get unsprouted barley 
and malt, taste both and see if you can decide what sub- 
stance is more abundant in the malt. 
Germinating kernels of corn undergo great alterations 
in their structure; the starch grains are gradually eaten 
away until they are ragged and full of holes and finally 
disappear. 
11. The Embryo and its Development. The miniature 
plant, as it exists ready formed and alive but inactive in 
the seed, is called the embryo. In the seeds so far exam- 
ined, practically the entire contents of the seed-coats 
consist of the embryo, but this is not the case with the 
great majority of seeds, as will be shown in the following 
chapter. 
