275 
Seedlings of Zea Metis and Phoenix dactylifera . 
Nine days old. Nearly all the epidermal cells are devoid of granular 
material ; the remainder contain granules evenly distributed throughout 
the cytoplasm. The starch in the vicinity of the plumule is beginning 
to disappear. The substance of the endosperm is almost completely 
dissolved and absorbed at this time. Apparently the epidermal cells of 
the scutellum have ceased to be actively secreting cells and are now 
principally vegetative in function. A little later the contents of these cells 
disappear ; possibly they are absorbed by the growing plant. 
B. Studies of Microtome Sections. 
Cells in the Resting Condition. The protoplasm of the epidermal 
cells is contracted away from the lateral walls and often from the distal 
wall of the cell. With a low -magnification the protoplasm appears as 
a fine granular substance, homogeneous throughout. In a number of the 
cells there are irregular vacuoles in the proximal end of the cell. With 
higher magnification one can distinguish the granules arranged on the 
protoplasmic network. 
There is no regularity as to the position of the nucleus in the cell 
at this time. It has a slightly irregular, elliptical outline. The nucleus 
contains fine granular material which renders it darker than the cytoplasm. 
There is only a small amount of chromatin present, and it occurs in the 
form of small spheres at the surface of the nucleus. These can be distin- 
guished easily from the other granular material, because the latter appears 
to be evenly distributed throughout the interior of the nucleus, while the 
chromatin is at the surface. The faint outline of a nucleolus may be 
distinguished in favourable sections. (Plate XX, Fig. i.) 
The other cells of the scutellum are so densely filled with granules 
of proteid matter that none of the protoplasmic structures are visible except 
the nucleus. 
Cells after imbibition with water for three hours. The contents of 
many of the epidermal cells do not yet completely fill the cell-cavity 
(Fig. d). The cytoplasm is full of small, flocculent granules which stain 
blue with Mann’s Eosin-Toluidin Blue. The nucleus contains two kinds of 
nucleo-proteid matter in the form of granules. Undoubtedly the larger 
granules are chromatin and the smaller ones may be a reserve product 
stored in the nucleus ; because as the cell-metabolism proceeds these fine 
granules rapidly disappear from the nucleus. The nucleolus stains red, 
the chromatin and fine granules, dark purple. 
The large isodiametric cells of the scutellum are completely filled 
with two kinds of granules at this stage, a number of large and small 
proteid grains which nearly fill the cell and stain red with Mann’s Eosin- 
Toluidin Blue, and larger spherical starch grains which stain blue. 
