
THE FRUIT AND THE SEED Zo 
Conditions for germination. Germination is really a process of 
growth, and the conditions that are necessary for germination 
are essentially the same as those that are required for other 
forms of growth. Growth is dependent on a supply of food, 
water, and oxygen, and a suitable temperature. Seeds normally 
contain sufficient food for growth, so that we do not usually 
think of food as a condition that is essential for germination. 

Fic. 304. Successive stages in the germination of coconut 
The large central meat is endosperm. In the drawing at the left the embryo is 
still very small ; the cotyledon, which is modified as an absorbing organ, is in the 
endosperm, while the remainder of the embryo projects up into the husk. In the 
second drawing the modified cotyledon has enlarged, while the shoot appears 
through the husk. In the third drawing the cotyledon fills the cavity in the 
kernel. (xX 3%) 
Active protoplasm consists very largely of water, while the 
protoplasm of dry seeds contains comparatively little water. A 
supply of water is therefore very essential to change the proto- 
plasm from the relatively inactive condition in the dry seed to the 
active conditions in the young seedling. The amount of water 
absorbed is frequently considerable, and it is absorbed with great 
force. During the process the seeds become soft and saturated 
with water. This absorption of water causes most seeds to swell. 
