20 POPULAR ERRORS. 



tin Farquhar Tupper gives an account of experi- 

 ments on the germination of mummy wheat, con- 

 cerning which the editor of the Gardeners' Chronicle 

 states that he finds no flaw whatever. Following 

 is an abstract taken from the latter journal: 



" Sir Gardener Wilkinson, when in the Thebiad, 

 opened an ancient tomb (which had probably re- 

 mained unvisited by man during the greater part 

 of 3,000 years), and, from some alabaster sepulcral 

 vases therein, took with his own hands a quantity 

 of wheat and barley that had been there preserved. 

 Portions of this grain Sir G. Wilkinson had given 

 to Mr. Pettigrew, who presented Mr. Tupper with 

 twelve grains of the venerable harvest. In 1840 

 Mr. Tupper sowed these twelve grains." Of these 

 only one grew, producing two small ears. Details 

 are given of the pains taken to insure that the 

 plants which might grow should come from the 

 seed planted. The soil was carefully sifted and 

 three seeds were planted in each of four garden 

 pots at the angles of a triangle. The grains sown 

 were brown and shrunken, unlike any modern 

 wheat. 



Another case, described by George Wilkes in the 

 same journal for 1856, relates to the finding of 

 some wheat in the wrappings of a mummy opened 

 at Cambridge. He states that a nobleman who 

 was present gave some of the seed to his gardener 



