30 



THE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN. 



is omitted. The averages, however, were: Corn, 46.4 per 

 cent; peas, 149 per cent; navy beans, 108.3 per cent; and a 

 series of tests with wheat, 69.1 per cent. 



Widtsoe (10) gives the following as the percentages of 

 moisture contained by seeds at saturation. Wheat, 52 to 57; 

 corn, 44 to 57 ; peas, 93 ; beans, 88 to 95. The differences be- 

 tween those given above and those of Widtsoe are probably 

 due to differing end-points, or the different varieties of seeds 

 may differ in their saturation percentages. The original pa- 

 pers to which he refers are not available. The results reached 

 here will be used as the same end-point and as seeds from 

 the same lots were used as in the tests following. 



Com k 



120 Houre 



Fic;. 1. Water absorption of various germinating seeds. 

 Corn 1, navv beans and soy beans on wet cotton ; peas and 

 corn 2, between pads of wet cotton; corn 3, on sand wet 

 with 10 per cent water; corn 4, on sand wet with 5 per cent 

 water. 



RESULTS. 



At the same time this preliminary test was run, careful 

 germination tests were made of different lots of seeds and only 

 those were chosen for use which gave a high percentage of 

 vitality. Corn was the first used, Boone County White, as to 

 variety. With no arrangement to keep temperatures down. 



