LIFE SPAN OF SEEDS 



29 



lengthen the formerly assumed life span. Until we possess such information, 

 these terms do not have very definite meaning. As we learn of better and 

 better storage conditions for a given species of seed, it may jump from the 

 microbiotic to the mesobiotic or even to the macrobiotic class. 



Seeds of Long Life Span 



Let us look at the percentage germination of certain old macrobiotic seeds 

 that have been taken from seed cupboards or herbaria. Becquerel ^~ gives 

 a very interesting record. He had access to a batch of old seeds in a storage 

 room in the National Museum of Paris. The time of collection of these seeds 

 varied from 1819 to 1853. He ran germination tests on these seeds in 1906 

 and again in 1934. For the 1934 test, Humbert and Metman furnished him 

 about 20 seeds of Cassia multijuga which were collected in 1776. These 

 seeds were all hard-coated, so they demanded special treatment. They were 

 sterilized, the coats broken, and put to germinate in tubes under sterile 

 conditions at 28° C. The seed stock was considered so precious that only 

 ten of each sort were used for the test. Of Cassia multijuga only two seeds 

 were used. Table 1 shows the results obtained for the 13 kinds, sho\\ing 

 germination in either the 1906 or the 1934 test. In the last column Becquerel 

 estimates the probable life span of several of the seeds, based on the data for 

 the two tests. 



Table 1. "Becquerel's Record of Old Seeds 



All these seeds are of the Leguminosae, except those of Lavatera (Mal- 

 vaceae) and Stachys (Labiatae). The seeds of Cassia multijuga germinated 

 after 158 years of storage. This exceeds the records of Robert Brown for 

 Nelumbium speciosum ^^ from the British Museum, which were 150 years; 

 also the records of Ewart for Goodia lotifolia and Hovea heterophylla, which 



