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ON THE aEBMlNATIOir OF SEEDS. 133 



and I beUeve with Sinapis nigra. Of the genus Qodetia, Mr. 

 Berkeley fotmd one species was killed by, and another survived, a 



cunous ease 





the varieties of the cabbage ; for I found that good seed of the 



Mammoth white broccoli " germinated after 11 days' immersion, 

 but was killed by 22 days ; seed of the " early cauliflower " sur- 

 vived 22 days, but was kiUed by 36 days; " Cattell's cabbage" 

 geminated excellently after 36 days, but was killed by 60 days ; 

 and lastly, fresh seed of the wild cabbage from Tenby germinated 

 excellently after 50 days, very well after 110 days, and two seeds 

 out of some hundreds germinated after 133 days' immersion. 



t)f the 87 kinds of seeds tried, 23 or more than one quarter did 

 not endure 28 days' immersion : aipsicum has endured the trial 

 test, for 30 out of 56 seeds germinated weU after 137 days' im- 

 mersion : of celery seed after the same period of 137 days, only 



out of several hundreds germinated. The worst germinators 



nave been dwarf kidney beans and Hihiscm manihot, both killed 



y 11 days' immersion ; common peas were killed by 14 days* ; 



usnlago farfa/ra germinated under water after 9 days, but the 

 young plants kept alive for some time : the next worse germina- 

 tors have been Fhlox Drtmmondii, TrifoUum incarnafum, Linum 

 ^tatisaimum, and Simpis nigra, very few of which survived 

 15 days' immersion. ~ 



From such scanty materials it is, perhaps, rash to draw any 

 ^rt of deduction in regard to the power of resistance to salt 

 ^ater in the different divisions of the vegetable kingdom ; but a 

 few remarks may be permitted. Three out of the 17 Endogens 

 fnd 20 out of the 70 Exogens were kiUed by a month or 28 days' 

 J^'^nersion : this fact, together with the marked power of endurance 

 ^ the Atriplex, Beta, Spimcea, and Bhevm, lowly organized 

 fi^ogens, accords with, and is perhaps connected with, the fact, in- 

 ^sted on so much by M. A. DeCandoUe, of the wider range of the 

 *;»dogens and of the lowly organized Exogens, than of the higher 

 ^^ogens*. The io\XT Solanacea and two UmbelUfera endured the 

 8alt water very well, ^d each included the longest survivor of all 

 , .® species tried. Ten Composites were tried, and only one waa 

 *uled by a month's immCTsion, that is excepting the Tussilago 

 ^nich germinated under water. Eight Crucifera were tried, and 

 > ''"thstood the influence well, excepting Sinapis nigra, which 



j^f^^<**^n in his "Florula Juvenalis," p. 16, states that the seeds of some 

 vj^ ' *" ^^Mr^lex and certain Graminem, germinate perfectly in salt-marshes, 

 thty hare been immersed during all the winter under salt water. 



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