EFFECT OF MOrSTURE AND TEMrERATURE. 



27 



l)()\ was hrouiiht diroctlv to tlic hiltoiatorv and tlu- scrds weiv exam 

 iiu'il at once. Those contained in the paper paekai,a's liad a})sorhtHl a 

 eonsideral)le (|uantity of moisture and were much softened. In all of 

 the packages except those containing the onion and watermelon seeds 

 some mold had developed; l)ut in the seeds used for the germination 

 tests care was taken to avoid using those that showed any trace of 

 a mycelium, thereby reducing the injury due to fungous growth to a 

 minimum, even though subsetpient experiments have shown that such 

 injury is practically negligil)le. 



An interesting i)oint concerning the germination of some of the 

 seeds at this low temperature may be stated in this connection. Eight 

 of the peas, or 4 per cent, had already germinated, the radicles vary- 

 ing in length from 1 to 2.5 cm., thus corroborating Ulotirs results in 

 germinating peas at or slightly below the temperature of melting ice.« 



T.\.BLE VIII. — The vitality of neeiU kept in <in ire home inenvelope.'< <uid l>ottle!<, ami like- 

 wise the vitality/ of the controls. 



'iln making up the averages the result of the germination of the phlox was omitted because a .sub- 

 sequent examination showed that the bottle containing this sample of seed was broken at the bottom, 

 thus admitting sufficient moisture to destroy vitality, as is borne out by the second test. 



The above table shows, as previously stated, that the results of the 

 first tests are incomplete and not very satisfactory, owing to the fact 

 that the germination tests were unavoidably delayed for eight days 

 after the seeds were taken from the ice house; but with the second set 



« Flora, 1875, pp. 266-268. 



