GRIFFITHS: A NOVEL SEED PLANTER 165 
Plantago fastigiata Morris, the ‘ Indian wheat” of the region. How 
it was possible for these seedlings to establish themselves in such 
situations were matters for speculation only. In March the crop 
of this plant was in its prime and in many localities covered the 
ground almost completely and yielded as high as a ton of air-dry 
substance per acre. The crop of seed was truly wonderful and 
upon the maturity of the plant in April and the advent of the dry 
weather of May it became strewn all over the surface of the mesa. 
It was not, however, particularly conspicuous until after a shower 
of rain in the latter part of May. Although a light shower it was 
quite vigorous for a short time and caused water to run freely on 
the mesa, resulting in much of the seed strewn over the surface 
being washed into cattle tracks, gopher holes, and other surface 
depressions. It was then that an explanation of the wonderful 
“ sticking qualities” of the seed was offered. 
The seeds of the plantains are altogether too common to re- 
quire any extended description. Those of this species, like all 
others with which the writer is familiar, are covered with a com- 
Pact glossy or often white coating which absorbs water, expands 
Wonderfully and becomes mucilaginous when an opportunity is 
offered. This coating of mucilage, as it is usually called, is con- 
siderably more pronounced in this and some other dryland species 
than in those which grow in more humid regions. When the 
Coating has absorbed water to its full capacity, it loses any opacity 
Which it may have due to the presence of air in the dried mucilage, 
and the whole seed and its coating assumes the appearance of a 
Particle of jelly inclosing an oval hemilenticular particle in its 
center. When examined a little more closely, however, the coat- 
ing is seen to havea definite structure. It presents a distinct radial 
#Ppearance with the rays more or less regular in arrangement and 
formed by a greater concentration of matter than the intervening 
Spaces, 
When examining the plant after the shower of rain in May, the 
first things to attract attention were the masses of seed which had 
collected in the depressions. At first these masses were simply a 
mixture of seed, mucilage and débris from the general surface of 
the desert. After a time the seed separated largely from the refuse 
and a crust was formed both above and below. The upper one 
