72 



THE VITALITY AND GEKMINATION OF SEEDS. 



Table XXYIII. — Mtality of rahhagr and onion seed as preserved in various kinds of 

 packages and std'jeded to different kinds of storage — Continued. 



Many of the points brought out b}" this table are very similar to 

 those of the preceding one, yet the differences are sufficiently marked 

 to justify its being given in this connection. The seeds stored in the 

 botanical laborator}^ and those subjected to trade conditions at Ann 

 Arbor have germinated practically the same, the cabbage slightly 

 favoring trade conditions and the onion being better preserved in the 

 laborator3\ But a comparison of the trade conditions at Ann Arbor 

 and Mobile in the unprotected packages shows the same wide variation 

 that has been alreadv pointed out. 



The advantage of dr^dng is not yqyj clearly l)rought out in this 

 table; in many cases there seems to have been a slight injuiy as a 

 result of the high temperature at which the drj'ing was done. Una- 

 voidably the temperature at that time reached 39° C, which, as has 

 alread}^ been stated, is slightl}^ above the maximum to which seeds 

 can be subjected for any considerable time without injury. The 

 injury due to heat is ver}^ evident in the samples stored in the incu- 

 bator maintained at 40° C, this injury being more apparent with the 

 increased moisture, especially in the paraffined package and in the 

 bottle. However, on the whole the percentages of germination are 

 higher for the dried seed than for the sped which had absorbed an 

 additional quantity of moisture; and, indeed, the comparison should 

 properl}' be made with these two, for seeds as they are usually stored 

 contain even higher percentages of moisture than either the cabbage 

 or lettuce after thej^ had absorbed the additional amount of water. 



But the chief purpose of the present experiments was to determine 

 the relative advantages of envelopes, paraffined packages, and bottles 

 as methods of putting up seed in order that vitality' might be pre- 

 served for a longer time. This comparison is best made by consider- 



