70 THE NATURE OF LIFE 



ing for a time but in a somewhat diflfer- 

 ent way. In neither case can we restore 

 precisely the same condition with which 

 we started out. 



If we stop the destructive metabolism 

 of the tallow candle by violent chemical 

 action, as by heating it in lye, we shall 

 not be able to relight it any more than 

 we could restore life to an organism 

 treated in the same way. 



But if we put out the candle by some 

 means which does not alter its chemical 

 or physical structure, as by cooling it 

 down sufficiently, we shall be able by 

 raising the temperature to make it burn 

 precisely as before. In the same way we 

 might expect that if we cooled down a 

 dry seed to the point where its metabo- 

 lism stopped, without materially altering 

 its physical or chemical structure, it 

 might be able, when brought back to 

 normal temperature, to resume its ac- 

 tivities as before. 



As a matter of fact dry seeds have been 

 cooled down to the temperature of liquid 



