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 ir 
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. 
