. Elements of biology; a practical text-book correlating botany, zoology, and human physiology. Biology. SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS 79 In other words, the food furnished new material for the plant, and energy for it to push its way through the sawdust or soil. We have proved that energy is invariably released as a result of oxidation. It will be of interest, then, to see if the grain of corn or other seeds can grow without a supply of oxygen. A simple method is as follows, al- though this is not an accurate experi- ment: Place 25 to 50 soaked beans or peas in each of two wide-mouth bottles, 6 oz. to
. Elements of biology; a practical text-book correlating botany, zoology, and human physiology. Biology. SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS 79 In other words, the food furnished new material for the plant, and energy for it to push its way through the sawdust or soil. We have proved that energy is invariably released as a result of oxidation. It will be of interest, then, to see if the grain of corn or other seeds can grow without a supply of oxygen. A simple method is as follows, al- though this is not an accurate experi- ment: Place 25 to 50 soaked beans or peas in each of two wide-mouth bottles, 6 oz. to 12 oz. Cork and seal one; leave the other uncorked, taking care to keep the seeds as moist as in the covered jar. Notice any differences in the seeds for at least one week. Make drawings showing your results.*. Experiment to show the effect of lack of air on germination. A more accurate method of determin- ing this is to exclude air entirely from a gl^-ss jar or bottle in which germinat- ing seeds had previously been placed. Air may be exhausted by means of an air pump. If the tube is now sealed by heating under the flame of a burner, the seeds will be left in an air-tight jar, A jar with seeds in same condition, except for lack of air, should be kept as a control experiment. Why did not the seeds in the covered jar germinate? We have seen that to release the energy contained in a piece of coal we must burn or oxidize it. To do this we must have a constant supply of fresh air containing oxygen. The seed, in order to re- lease the energy contained in its food supply, must have oxygen, so that the oxidation of the food may take place. Hence a con- stant supply of fresh air is an important factor in germination. It is important that air should penetrate between the grains of soil around a seed. The frequent stirring of the soil enables the air to reach the seed. Air also breaks down some materials in the soil and puts them in a form that the germinating seed can use. What is at le
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