“You may care to know the name of this pantry of food.  It is called a cotyledon if there is but one portion, cotyledons if two.  Thus we are aided in the classification of plants.  A few plants that bear cones like the pines have several cotyledons.  But most plants have either one or two cotyledons.

“Some plantlets, as they develop and start to push above the ground, bear along the cotyledon.  This is true in the case of the bean.  Jack and Peter have planted corn and beans in this box, not to have succotash but to show you about the habits of seeds.  See the bean plantlet, big, sturdy, fellow, is still clinging to its seed leaves or cotyledons, its baby nourishment.  Now look at the corn:  there is absolutely no sign above ground of its one seed leaf.

“So from large seeds come the strongest plantlets.  That is the reason why it is better and safer to choose the large seed.  It is the same case exactly as that of weak children.  Look at Myron, great strapping fellow!  Hasn’t he a fine chance in the world?  Do you remember that little sickly boy who was in school last spring?  He was as old as Myron, yet see how handicapped he is.  Try not to bring weak little plantlets into the plant world.  Bring strong, sturdy, healthy ones by careful seed selection.

“There is often another trouble in seeds that we buy.  The trouble is impurity.  Seeds are sometimes mixed with other seeds so like them in appearance that it is impossible to detect the fraud.  Pretty poor business, is it not?  The seeds may be unclean.  Bits of foreign matter in with large seed are very easy to discover.  One can merely pick the seed over and make it clean.  By clean is meant freedom from foreign matter.  But if small seed are unclean, it is very difficult, well nigh impossible, to make them clean.

“The third thing to look out for in seed is viability.  We know from our testings that seeds which look to the eye to be all right may not develop at all.  There are reasons.  Seeds may have been picked before they were ripe or mature; they may have been frozen; and they may be too old.  Seeds retain their viability or germ developing power, a given number of years and are then useless.  There is a viability limit in years which differs for different seeds.  This matter, along with directions for testing, the girls may get from our club secretary, Albert.  All of this we took up last year in our preliminary garden work before we started outdoor work.

“From the test of seeds we find out the germination percentage of seeds.  Now if this percentage is low, don’t waste time planting such seed unless it be small seed.  Immediately you question that statement.  Why does the size of the seed make a difference?  This is the reason.  When small seed is planted it is usually sown in drills.  Most amateurs sprinkle the seed in very thickly.  So a great quantity of seed is planted.  And enough seed germinates and comes up from such close planting.  So quantity makes up for quality.