MANUAL OF NATURE STUDY. 
121 
etc., are called e.xalbuminous , because they have no 
food supply outside of the embryo. 
To which class of seed does wheat belong? 
Why ? Maple ? Hazlenut ? Buckwheat ? Peach ? 
Apple ? Beechnut ? It will be a good exercise to 
let the children germinate a great many seeds and 
classify them. 
(■ b .) Nature provides protection for the matured 
seeds. As soaking over night in water will facili¬ 
tate the study of protective coverings,—prepare 
beans, corn, peas and other seeds in that way, and 
begin the observation. Pull off the coverings and 
try to find an outer, hard covering and an inner 
mucilaginous membrane. Compare the soaked 
coverings with those that have not been soaked. 
Is the covering a good protection against insects? 
Against changes of temperature ? Against moist¬ 
ure? Scrape off the covering of five dry beans. 
Place these five naked beans, with as many covered 
ones, in a pan of water. In a few hours examine 
them, and note difference in the result of the ex¬ 
periment. 
How do you account for the difference ? While 
the outer coat of the seed is almost impervious to 
water, still, if no water could enter the embryo, no 
growth could take place. So nature provides one 
very small entrance to the inner portion of the 
seed. See if the children can find it. 
