54 



THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



but to one side of the first. Thus at different depths plant a 

 dozen seed, which will be set spirally around the bottle. 

 Now cover from the light, and leave in a warm place. When 

 the seeds sprout, watch to see which of them is best able to 

 make a strong plant. 



This experiment will be more successful if it can be carried on 

 in a box with one glass side. If each sprouting plant is given 

 free room at the top, the whole can be more easily studied. 





Fig. 33. — Seedlings of bean, with their cotyledons. 



We can make sure, as we study the growth of these plants, 

 that it is easily possible to plant too deep, and that a long 

 struggle to reach the surface will weaken a plant. But are 

 the best depths the same for all plants ? 



This can be answered by repeating the experiment with 

 different seeds, best with corn, peas (not beans), lettuce, 

 and radish, putting one of each at a half inch, an inch, and 

 two inches below the surface. We shall discover two things : 

 First, the smaller the seed, the less able is it to climb from a 

 depth, and the weaker is the plant when it has succeeded. 

 Second, those with large cotyledons have the better chance 

 when deep planted. And this leads us to a new study. 



