﻿November, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  43i 
  

  

  The 
  Birth 
  of 
  the 
  Wheat 
  

  

  By 
  Percy 
  Collins 
  

  

  [GRAIN 
  of 
  wheat! 
  Probably 
  no 
  single 
  ob- 
  

   ject, 
  great 
  or 
  small, 
  possesses 
  a 
  fuller 
  sig- 
  

   nificance, 
  or 
  is 
  pregnant 
  with 
  a 
  wider 
  possi- 
  

   bility 
  in 
  its 
  relation 
  to 
  mankind 
  than 
  this 
  

   tiny 
  seed, 
  which 
  measures, 
  in 
  its 
  dry 
  state, 
  

   one-quarter 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  extreme 
  length. 
  

   Think, 
  for 
  a 
  moment, 
  what 
  would 
  happen 
  

   if 
  this 
  grain, 
  with 
  its 
  fellows 
  throughout 
  the 
  world, 
  were 
  by 
  

   some 
  unforeseen 
  chance 
  to 
  chain 
  up 
  its 
  life 
  principle 
  within 
  

   itself 
  — 
  if, 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  germination 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  arrested 
  for 
  

   a 
  single 
  year. 
  The 
  result 
  to 
  mankind 
  would 
  be 
  appalling. 
  

   Not 
  only 
  would 
  myriads 
  of 
  our 
  fellow 
  creatures 
  be 
  brought 
  

   to 
  the 
  verge 
  of 
  starvation, 
  but 
  the 
  whole 
  fabric 
  of 
  civilization 
  

   would 
  be 
  shaken 
  to 
  its 
  foundations. 
  

  

  By 
  what 
  means 
  is 
  this 
  calamity 
  averted 
  year 
  by 
  year? 
  In 
  

   what 
  manner 
  is 
  the 
  birth 
  of 
  the 
  wheat 
  secured? 
  Man 
  takes 
  

   but 
  small 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  miracle. 
  True, 
  he 
  prepares 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  

   watches 
  long 
  and 
  patiently 
  for 
  the 
  harvest. 
  But 
  with 
  the 
  

   actual 
  labor 
  of 
  birth 
  he 
  has 
  no 
  concern. 
  Nature 
  alone 
  holds 
  

   the 
  key, 
  and 
  we 
  can 
  only 
  stand 
  and 
  marvel 
  as 
  we 
  see 
  the 
  door 
  

   of 
  life 
  revolving 
  upon 
  its 
  hinges. 
  

  

  If 
  we 
  examine 
  a 
  grain 
  of 
  wheat 
  (Fig. 
  1) 
  separated 
  from 
  

   an 
  ordinary 
  farmer's 
  sample, 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   spindle-shaped, 
  with 
  a 
  groove 
  or 
  channel 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  and 
  a 
  

   tuft 
  of 
  silvery 
  hairs 
  at 
  one 
  extremity. 
  But 
  the 
  grain 
  is 
  

   shrunken, 
  and 
  its 
  skin 
  is 
  wrinkled, 
  and 
  we 
  shall 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  

   examine 
  it 
  more 
  profitably 
  after 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  steeped 
  in 
  water 
  

   for, 
  say, 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  twelve 
  hours. 
  Moisture 
  will 
  now 
  have 
  

   passed 
  into 
  the 
  

   grain, 
  and 
  it 
  will 
  

   have 
  become 
  swol- 
  

   len 
  — 
  completely 
  fill- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  envelope, 
  or 
  

   skin, 
  which 
  pro- 
  

   tected 
  it 
  during 
  its 
  

   period 
  of 
  sleep, 
  

   which 
  is 
  now 
  draw- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  a 
  close. 
  

  

  Regarding 
  first 
  

   what 
  we 
  may 
  term 
  

   the 
  obverse 
  of 
  the 
  

   grain 
  (Fig. 
  2) 
  we 
  

   notice 
  again 
  the 
  tuft 
  

   of 
  silver^ 
  7 
  hairs 
  at 
  

   one 
  extremity, 
  

   and 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  a 
  

   slight 
  prominence, 
  

   bounded 
  by 
  a 
  de- 
  

   pressed 
  area, 
  or 
  

   ditch. 
  This 
  promi- 
  

   nence 
  will 
  shortly 
  

   call 
  for 
  our 
  undi- 
  

   vided 
  attention. 
  It 
  

   is 
  the 
  embryo 
  — 
  the 
  

   germinating 
  point 
  

   of 
  the 
  seed 
  — 
  the 
  

   spot 
  whence 
  issues 
  

   the 
  living 
  wheat 
  

   plant. 
  For 
  the 
  mo- 
  

   ment, 
  however, 
  it 
  

   will 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  

   note 
  that 
  one 
  ex- 
  

   t 
  r 
  e 
  m 
  i 
  t 
  y 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  I 
  — 
  The 
  Untouched 
  Grain 
  

   2 
  — 
  The 
  Grain 
  Soaked 
  in 
  Water 
  : 
  Obverse 
  

   3 
  — 
  The 
  Same 
  Reversed 
  

   4 
  — 
  The 
  Beginning 
  of 
  Growth 
  

   5 
  — 
  The 
  Protrudance 
  of 
  the 
  Sheath 
  Guarding 
  

   the 
  Primary 
  Root 
  

  

  prominence 
  — 
  that 
  nearest 
  to 
  the 
  hairy 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  grain 
  — 
  is 
  

   termed, 
  because 
  of 
  what 
  lies 
  beneath 
  it, 
  the 
  plumule, 
  or 
  

   young 
  shoot. 
  The 
  other 
  extremity, 
  for 
  a 
  like 
  reason, 
  is 
  

   known 
  as 
  the 
  radicle, 
  or 
  young 
  root. 
  

  

  We 
  may 
  now 
  turn 
  the 
  grain 
  over 
  and 
  examine 
  its 
  reverse 
  

   (Fig. 
  3). 
  The 
  tuft 
  of 
  hairs 
  is 
  still 
  a 
  feature, 
  and 
  we 
  notice 
  

   that 
  the 
  groove, 
  or 
  channel, 
  originates 
  among 
  them. 
  It 
  may 
  

   be 
  regarded, 
  in 
  fact, 
  as 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  irrigation 
  channel; 
  for 
  it 
  

   provides 
  a 
  passage 
  for 
  the 
  moisture 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  hairs, 
  

   and 
  carries 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  embryo, 
  the 
  radicle 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  seen 
  

   protruding 
  from 
  beneath. 
  By 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  tuft 
  of 
  hairs, 
  the 
  

   groove, 
  and 
  the 
  depression 
  which 
  surrounds 
  the 
  embryo 
  upon 
  

   the 
  obverse 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  grain, 
  the 
  young 
  root 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  

   shoot 
  are 
  constantly 
  anointed 
  with 
  moisture 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   whole 
  period 
  of 
  their 
  early 
  development. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  important 
  to 
  bear 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  seed 
  

   in 
  a 
  grain 
  of 
  wheat 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  store 
  of 
  nourishment 
  

   destined 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  young 
  plant 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  

   germination, 
  and 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  established 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   food 
  for 
  itself 
  from 
  the 
  surrounding 
  elements. 
  This 
  store 
  

   is 
  called 
  the 
  albumen, 
  and 
  is 
  quite 
  distinct 
  from 
  the 
  embryo, 
  

   with 
  its 
  plumule 
  and 
  radicle, 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  prominence 
  at 
  

   one 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  grain. 
  The 
  albumen, 
  in 
  fact, 
  closely 
  resembles 
  

   the 
  yolk-bag 
  which 
  is 
  attached 
  to 
  and 
  nourishes 
  the 
  young 
  

   chicken 
  prior 
  to 
  its 
  escape 
  from 
  the 
  egg 
  shell. 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  germination 
  of 
  a 
  grain 
  

   of 
  wheat 
  are 
  moisture, 
  warmth 
  and 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  oxygen. 
  

   Exposed 
  to 
  these 
  influences, 
  the 
  pent-up 
  life 
  within 
  the 
  grain 
  

  

  begins 
  to 
  manifest 
  

   itself. 
  The 
  skin 
  

   above 
  the 
  embryo 
  

   ruptures, 
  forming 
  

   first 
  a 
  tiny 
  orifice, 
  

   which 
  rapidly 
  

   lengthens 
  until 
  a 
  slit 
  

   extending 
  from 
  end 
  

   to 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  prom- 
  

   inence 
  is 
  formed 
  

   (Fig. 
  4). 
  The 
  

   birth 
  of 
  the 
  wheat 
  

   has 
  now 
  fairly 
  com- 
  

   menced. 
  

  

  Later 
  — 
  after 
  an 
  

   interval, 
  perhaps, 
  

   of 
  several 
  hours 
  — 
  

   the 
  watcher 
  ob- 
  

   serves 
  the 
  sheath 
  

   which 
  guards 
  the 
  

   primary 
  root 
  pro- 
  

   truding 
  (Fig. 
  5). 
  

   A 
  few 
  hours 
  more 
  

   and 
  the 
  whole 
  

   sheath 
  will 
  be 
  ex- 
  

   posed 
  to 
  view; 
  the 
  

   protecting 
  skin 
  will 
  

   be 
  forced 
  aside; 
  

   while 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  

   young 
  root 
  and 
  the 
  

   young 
  shoot 
  will 
  

   have 
  emerged 
  from 
  

   opposite 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  

   sheath 
  (Fig. 
  6) 
  . 
  

   At 
  this 
  period 
  it 
  is 
  

  

  6 
  — 
  The 
  Tips 
  of 
  the 
  Young 
  Root 
  and 
  the 
  Young 
  Shoot 
  

   Have 
  Emerged 
  from 
  Opposite 
  Ends 
  of 
  the 
  Sheath 
  

  

  7 
  — 
  The 
  Extension 
  of 
  the 
  Primary 
  Root 
  

  

  8 
  — 
  The 
  Development 
  of 
  the 
  Adventitious 
  Roots 
  and 
  

   the 
  Root-hairs 
  

  

  9 
  — 
  The 
  Beginning 
  of 
  a 
  Second 
  Pair 
  of 
  Adventitious 
  Roots 
  

  

  