| | ll ll HHH HI Il | a ok Ih FCN 00 af THESIS SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS ed E, Joy Heek. 1899 a Fan THESIS ote ka eee, | LIBRARY Michigan State University = PLACE IN RETURN BOX to remove this checkout from your record. TO AVOID FINES return on or before date due. 3 MAY BE RECALLED with earlier due date if requested. DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE THES'S 4101185 SEEDS AND SHEDLINGS, The pritiary object of this thetis is to note the effect of different depths of planting on the growth or some of the cereals- wneat, indian corn, oats, rye and barley, Aiong with this work I have added suprli- mentary watter, viz., The srowth of the roots, the position of the parent seed, etc., GERMINATION AND GROWTH OF THE GRAINS, A grain or wheat, being deposited in the earth, in a short tine asswies the appearance represented Bf figures 1, 2 ane 3 or plate 1, In these Pigures are snown the radical X, lateral roots A and A', and the central root B, the -last being the first to make ite appearance, Later on tie next pair just behind the rlwimile nake their appearance, In fig.3 is represented the grain at a still later period of srorth, Here the five roots, — Your lateral and one central root,are well developed, While srowing tne seedlings I cut off the ends or several of the latcral roots,. The relaainder of the roots ceased to grov,, but the uncut roots thrived as well cs the corresponding roots on the seeds wnicn were unnolested, In several of the specimens tne ends or the roots turned brown, This was due to a lack or moisture, Although they were aftcr- wards watcred, they did not survive but all suceumbed to the influcnce of the drouth, Afeer 2 certain time had passed frou the deposit of the sced, varying with the depth at which it was sown, the plummle was noticed at the ot a 2 surface of the ground, In fis.1 of plate 5 the sceeavwas plante dept’. of one-half inensy in fis.2 at one and ono-nalf ineness; ang in rls, 5 at 6 inenes, In fig.1,the plume was first noticed in cight aays - ‘eo e . a ’ ‘ ° ® \ 7 ») ‘ . . ‘ . on . . 7 ~ d ‘ t , . . tf - We 7 ‘ mi . é o . - = tig , ; » uu _? . , ‘ . ~ e » ~ ‘ d 6 . - . " . ? a . - “ oo t q aA YQ ‘ , , . te . ~ ‘ » . . . > we - 4 ‘ - - ’ . ~ . a 3 ‘ ¢ ‘ 1 , 1 e a ~ a - 4 . 2 ; ? ? » . « » : . ‘ ‘ 7 wa ‘ 0 « ' e 4 . - ’ .-) . ~ . ~ Y e e . ‘ . ‘ N from tne tlie or planting; in ris.e,in ll days;ancd rig.s,in 17 days, Fig.l in whilen tne seed was sown at a deptr or one-nalf iner,shows a plant in a tnrifty and vissorous condition, It has four broad, dark- colored,well-developed,nealthy lookKin:; leaves, These lexves are supported sy snort well-forued stems, which is nourished by numerous roots, tnus eciubining the qualities necessary Cor a thrifty plant. rig.2.in wiien the seed was planted at a depth of one and one-nalf inenes is also a webl formed plant, Instead or having the roots pro- jJecting from a single node, as in cisg.1, they appear in difrerent portions or tne stem, tihus furnishinga wuci. Larger c..ount of nutri.ent \ to the plant, Thnis ls well shovm by the nwuwbocr and condition cr tne leaves-in place oc four there are six, This is or great physiological trmortancs: in the srowth or the lant .The evil crrects of too great a aerth in sowing is well illustrated in *ig.5. The stalk surknmountec by only a couple of leaves is sitall and unthrifty as coipared with the plant represanted in figs.2, which was sown at a daoptn of one anda onc- hal> inenes, The great distance wnien it was necessary fot the plwimiec to traverse bovore emanating frou the ground and cuerging into the alr, scaring the vitalizing influence of the light, has entirely exnaustcd the stor: of nutritious uaterial *urnished uy the seed, Hence its Puture growth is retarded and the stalk is in mor: danger os disease and acel- cent. The growtn or the othor eereals is very Similiar to that or wneat. The dangers wich surround this ylant are coiu.on to the dthors,as will be secn by tne drawing. Missg A and 3 of plate 6G are representations of indian corn, f.:¢e nutritious parts of the seed is entirely exhausted and the roots are s0 5 few that they can barely sustain the life of the plant, Figs.A and snow ) of plates five show the rye plant, Figures © and E tno barley Plant, In tuese the seedlings are very young and hence the drawings do not show the effect of the different depths of planting to as grea As advantage as do the drawings or corn and wneat, In figures A and B of plate four this distinction is vory iwarkec, Tne one is a nealtny well-developed plant, tie other an unthrirty one. Figure A of plate two is a roy;resentation of a seedling of corn, at ti is snown tne wanner of throwin;; out roots, This is better shown in figure Bb, tre drawing of an old stalk one-sixth its natural size, Tne roots are thrown cut at the first, second, third, fourth and fifth nodes, The last drawing represents a stalk tnat was leaning, the portion sown is tne part next to the ground, Tie nodo invarivly remains at the paront seed, not drawing; away roi the se:a as surposed wy liany. “nis is well illustrated y Figure nine of plate one, whieh represents an entire spike os rye that haa been left on the sroumda ana sprouted, Fisure eleht of sanic plant shovs root penetrating the pericarp of the seed, but not tne parent seed as it is still attached to tne plant. In figure 3 plate five is a similiar drawings, In figures 5 ane Cc of Plate six are rovresontatcd roots ponetrating £© yoy and wood. Fimure "! of plate one snows a cross-scetion oF a prain of wneat, with the two outer coats, Fissure four o€ sane plate illustrates the five rudimentary roots ina kernel o. wheat. Rye, oats and barley nave the sawe nuuber of roots, On Plate seven are pasted seedlings of wheat and corn, These snows tne roots as they grow naturally, but the stem of the seedlings of corn are Liuch longer than the normal srowth as they wer é srown in pots whiecn were not exposed to strvielent light. This and is due to the tendency all plants have to seek light. 7 Ce ¥ + een aes a ae en PY wt eT AI, ae ~ 2 ——— —S= Too {Poe ~ 5 ‘fo +f a a 7 . ' "Yee “UF gs - ~ Pree, di 1581.3 H448 101185 | Heck | : eeds see ° 7581.3 H448 — ITY Lt r ] aint tN 4531 3 nT STATE UNIVERS: Wn UN NITE 1293 0208 3