VITALITY OF SEEDS. 31 



apparent, with an appearance of maceration and de- 

 composition; and on the ninth day this decomposi- 

 tion was complete. No trace of germination could 

 be discovered during all this time. Figari-Bey 

 obtained similar negative results from grains of 

 wheat found in other sepulchres, and also on bar- 

 ley proceeding from the same source; so that there 

 is every reason to believe that the ears hitherto 

 ostensibly obtained from mummy wheat proceeded 

 from grain accidentally contained in the mould into 

 which the former were sown." 



In 1860, twenty years after the publication rela- 

 tive to the germination of mummy wheat by Mr. 

 Tupper already referred to, Professor Henslow pub- 

 lished in the Transactions of the British Associa- 

 tion for the Advancement of Science an account of 

 his investigation of the circumstances under which 

 this former experiment was made. A quantity of 

 the original lot of mummy wheat was found still in 

 the possession of Sir Gardener Wilkinson. This 

 was carefully examined and found to contain a few 

 grains of unmistakably fresh wheat; and besides 

 this it contained grains of Indian corn, a grain not 

 known in Egypt until after the discovery of America. 

 Further inquiry revealed the fact that the ancient 

 wheat had been for a time in the keeping of a grain 

 merchant of Cairo, who supplied the jars into 

 which it was put after being taken from the cata- 



