Vol. XI. No. 268. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



;.Do 



INFLUENCE OF LIGHT ON GERMINA- 

 TION. 



The following is part of an abstract appearing in 

 the Journal of the Board of Agriculture, for June 

 1912, p. 231, of a paper appearing in Praktische Blotter 

 far Pjianzenhau unci -^c/aiis, dealing with investiga- 

 tions concerning the influence of light and temperature 

 on the germination of seeds: — 



Investigations earned out at the Institute at Munich 

 have shown that different seeds are differently affected by 

 light; thus fresh seeds of Ni'jeUa satiin did not germinate 

 in a seed bed open to the light, but when claced in the 

 dark the whole of the seeds germinated after ten days. The 

 seeds of many Liliaceae were found to behave similarly, 

 though here the action of light depended on the temperature, 

 germination being seriously hindered by the light only in 

 temperatures above G8°F. 



On the other hand, about 20C species including Vercy- 

 nica officinalis could not be germinated in the dark; when 

 brought suddenly into the light, however, after being kept 

 for three years in the dark, they were found to germinate in 

 a very short time. In many cases only a small amount of 

 light was necessary for germination. Lights of different 

 colour were noticed to act in different ways. A blue light 

 was found to act in the .same way as darkness, and had the 

 additional effect of preventing the growth of harmful fungi 

 and bacteria; 100 seeds of Tofieldia were kept for four years 

 under a blue light and not one died. Germination ensued 

 immediately on changing the blue to a red or white light. 

 On the other hand, a blue light seemed to favour germination 

 in the case of seeds which germinate in the dark, while 

 red was unfavourable. 



The sudden appearance of large numbers of some 

 varieties of weeds in fields seems to be e.xplained by the fact 

 that in many cases germination is more complete and rapid 

 where seeds have been kept for a considerable time in an 

 unfavourable environment, and then brought suddenly into 

 a favourable one. Thus it was found that seeds of Digitalis 

 purpurea took eight months for the whole to germinate in 

 the light in the ordinary way; but where they had been kept 

 in the dark for three years the whole germinated in ten days 

 after the admission of feeble light. Species of Veronica 

 behaved similarly. Allowed to germinute in the ordinary 

 way in the light, only -50 per cent, germinated in three years, 

 but when kept in the dark for some time and then suddenly 

 placed in the light, the whole of the seeds germinated. In 

 the case of Verbascum niyrunt, seeds kept in the light for 

 three years germinated to the extent of 21 per cent., while 

 75 per cent, germinated where the seeds had been kept in 

 the dark for three years and then placed in the hght. 



A noticeable point in connexion with these experiments 

 was the different behaviour of different species of the same 

 family, and it is evident that seeds are able to adapt them- 

 selves to varying conditions of climate, soil and light. 



At a meeting of the Lawes Agricultural Trust Commit- 

 tee held on June 2.5, Dr. E. J. Russell, at present Goldsmith's 

 Company's assistant for soil investigations, was appointed 

 Director of the Rothamsted Experimental Station in success- 

 ion to Mr. A. D. Hall, F.R.S. {Nature, .July. 14, 1912.) 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS. 



DRUGS AND SPICES ON THE LONDON 



MARKET. 



Mr. J. R. Jackson. A.L.S., has forwarded the fol- 

 lowing report on the London drug and spice market, 

 for the month of June 1912: — 



The continuation of the strike of the Union transport 

 workers at the docks, which has been going on for some 

 weeks, with more or less intensity, accompanied with violent 

 attack.s on non-union men, has had a very serious effect on 

 trade in general, so serious indeed was the outlook in the 

 middle and latter part of .June that the usual fortnightly 

 drug and weekly spice auctions were suspended, and at the 

 time of writing this report, up to the last day of the month, 

 bu.siness is still very limited, in consequence of the lack of 

 labour for the removal and distribution of goods from the 

 .ships, and the wharves, except by non union men, who work 

 at considerable peril of attack by union labourers. In 

 consequence of these troubles our report this month wll be 

 very meagre. 



GINGER. 



At the first auction on the •'Jth .June the offerings 

 consisted of small cut Calicut, Rough Cochin and Japanese, 

 all of which were bought in at the following prices res- 

 pectively: 67«., 42.S, and 32*- 6rf.. A week later it was 

 reported that sales of Sierra Leone had been effected at 

 25s. M. to 26s. At auction on the 26th, 168 bags of 

 small limed Japan sold without reserve at 28s. to 28.s. Qd. 

 per cwt. Nutmegs, mace, pimento and arrowroot have 

 been quite of a neglected character, what has been offered 

 being for the most part bought in. 



S.\RS.\IURILL.4. 



In the matter of this drug, in the early part of the 

 month it was reported that about 80 bales had arrived, con- 

 sisting of Grey Jamaica, native .Jamaica, and Mexican, 

 but on account of the transport strike no delivery had been 

 effected, and it was not until the 27th of June that the 

 auctions were resumed, when 6 bales of grey Jamaica, and 

 32 bales of native Jamaica were offered: of the former the 

 whole was disposed of at steady rates, while of the latter 

 20 bales changed hands at full rates, fair to good red fetch- 

 ing Is. '2d. to Is. Ic?, fair palish red \s. id., dull red and 

 yellow mixed lid., and common 'yellow and grey mixed 9'i. 

 per B). 



LIME .jgiCE AXD T.AMARISDS. 



It was reported in the early part of the month that the 

 prices quoted for lime juice were more or less nominal, though 

 nothing was being offered in the open market, about 50 

 packages being at the time held up by the strike. At the end 

 of the month West Indian tamarinds were selling at 15s. 9fZ. 

 per cwt. and East Indian at 1 2s. 



