26 THE VITALITY ATSTD GERMINATION OF SEEDS. 



Dyer." In the experiiiients of the last-named investigator seeds were 

 subjected to the temperature of liquid hydrogen (—2.50-' to — 252^C.) 

 for six hours, and when tested for vitality the germination was perfect 

 and complete. * 



Much more might be said on the effect of high and low temperatures 

 on vitality. But for the commercial handling of seeds the extremes 

 of temperature are of secondary importance and need not be further 

 discussed at this time. In the present work the purpose has been to 

 show the effect of moisture on the vitalit}^ of seeds when subjected to 

 such temperatures as are usually met with in the storing of seeds. 



SEEDS PACKED IN ICE. 



On February 6, 1900, samples of each of thirteen kinds of seed 

 were put up in duplicate, both in manila coin envelopes and in small 

 bottles. The bottles were closed with carefully selected cork stoppers. 

 These two sets of duplicate samples were then divided into two lots. 

 Each lot contained one of each of the packages and one of each of the 

 bottles of seeds. The samples thus prepared were carefully packed 

 with excelsior in wooden boxes, the boxes being then wrapped with 

 heav}' manila paper. In one of the boxes was also placed a Sixes' 

 self -registering thermometer, so that the minimum temperature could 

 be ascertained. 



These boxes were stored in a large ice house near Ann Arbor, being 

 securely packed in with the ice at the time the house was being filled. 

 The first box was taken out with the ice on June 12, 1900, after a lapse 

 of 126 days. The thermometer in this box registered a minimum of 

 —3.6° C. It is safe to assmiie that this temperature was uniform, at 

 least up to within a few days of the time when the seeds were taken 

 out. Unfortunatel}^ absence from the university at this particular 

 time delayed an examination of the seeds until June 20. During the 

 eight intervening days the box of seeds was kept in the laboratory 

 and there many of the seeds in the packages molded, so that they were 

 unfit for germination tests. In fact, the results of the tests from the 

 packages are of little value within themselves; but in comparison with 

 the \'itality tests of the seeds kept in the bottles some important facts 

 are brought out, and it has been deemed advisable to tabulate these 

 results with those of the second series. 



The second box of seeds was packed approximately in the center of 

 a large ice house (100 by 60 by 20 feet) and was taken out with the 

 ice on July 21, 1900, after haying been 167 days in cold storage. The 



«Proc. Roy. Soc, 1899, 65: 361-368. 



b Bra ssica alba (oily), Pisum sativum (nitrogenous), Cucurhita^pepo (oily)', Tritlcum 

 sativum (farinaceous), and Hordeum imlgare (farinaceous). 



