79-] THE VITALITY OF SEEDS. 307 



THE VITALITY OF SEEDS. 



It has been recently asserted that the reason why old Melon seeds pro- 

 duce more fruitful plants than young seeds produce, is because the 

 starch the old seeds contain is gradually converted into albumen, 

 which is less readily soluble than starch, therefore the plants raised 

 from old seeds do not grow so vigorously and are more fruitful than 

 stronger-growing plants raised from young seeds. This is advanced 

 on the authority of Loudon. In the first place, such a change 

 is an utter impossibility ; in the second, in Loudon's days chemists 

 had not ascertained the composition of Melon seeds, and therefore 

 Loudon's statement was only assertion— and loose assertion too — 

 as he could not possibly have known the chemical formula of starch 

 and albumen, or he would never for a moment have supposed the 

 possibility of starch being converted into albumen. Loudon's 

 mistake was excusable ; but how are we to excuse those who go on 

 repeating it so long after the idea which gave it birth has been 

 exploded 1 The truth is — and, practically, it is of some value to know 

 it— that after a year or two Melon seeds gradually lose their vitality, 

 and as the vital power becomes less the plants produced are less robust, 

 and — that is all. There is a very erroneous idea entertained and acted 

 on, that Melon seeds two or three years' old produce earlier and more 

 fruitful plants than one-year-old seeds. It is certainly quite true, and 

 by careful comparison we have satisfied ourselves of its being so, that 

 plants raised from seeds old enough to have an impaired vitality gener- 

 ally show fruit-blossom earlier and in even greater abundance than when 

 the plants were raised from seeds whose vitality was unimpaired. But 

 the conclusion which seems to have been universally arrived at is quite 

 erroneous. We have on more than one occasion proved what we are 

 now saying. It is not from any positive quality possessed by old seeds, 

 but rather in consequence of an impaired vitality, that the plants are 

 earlier and more fruitful. Lessen the vigour of plants raised from new 

 seeds by using poorer soil while the plants are being nursed in pots 

 previous to final transplanting, or by the use of smaller pots or a lower 

 temperature than is consistent with a vigorous development, or by 

 any means whatever whereby the constitution of the plants is brought 

 to the level of plants raised from seeds with an impaired vitality, and 

 you will find the results quite the same. This being the case, any dif- 

 ference between new Melon and Cucumber seeds can be regulated at 

 will and according to the appliances of the cultivator, — for not only 

 can new seeds be brought to produce plants similar every way to that 

 produced by older seeds by the " levelling-down " system, but equality 

 may be restored to a certain extent by the " levelling-up " process as 

 well, by using soil a little richer than usual : but perhaps this is only 

 putting the same fact in a different form. 



On the same subject, under a somewhat different title, a writer in a 



