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CUA.PTER ON SEEDS. 



observe that he lind no iliflloiilty in raisinc; in tlio same season Peach trees from stones 

 sown in the spring, without previously cracking them ; and yet any man may do tlie 

 same for himself, — he may raise either Sweet (nims or Peach trees in either one 

 vear or two, and yet in either case sow the seed in tlie sjiring of the year. We have 

 only to understand two things: 1st, What preserves the vitality of seeds? 2d, 

 What induces their germination ? 



The vitality of seeds is an interesting study. There is probably no inherent reason 

 why any kind of seed may not be preserved sound to an indefinite period. Wheat 

 and other cereals which have been taken from Egyptian tombs and monuments, in 

 which they had been enclosed hundreds of years, have readily germinated. In newly 

 plowed-up pastures, which may have lain unbroken many years, we constantly see 

 myriads of Rag-weed (^Ambrosia artimesicefolia) springing up from seed which must 

 have lain dormant during that period. The St. John's wort (^Hijpericum perforatum), 

 Hedge Mustard {^Sisijmbrium o^icinale), and the Wild Carrot, are also familiar exam- 

 ples, puzzling to many of our "farmers," who can scarcely be made to believe that 

 they are not "natural" to the soil, springing spontaneously and equivocally therefrom. 

 It is recorded that in some countries the Sinapis arvensis, a kind of Mustard, most 

 generally springs up in clay taken from very deep wells ; and a few years ago I saw 

 it stated, in one of our Patent Office Reports, that the Great Yellow Mullein ( Verbas- 

 cum thapsus) commonly made its appearance after fires on the prairies. Yet the 

 seeds of all the plants I have mentioned, under ordinary circumstances, germinate in 

 a few weeks, and some of them even in a few days after sowing. 



There is another class of seeds which preserve their vitality to irregular periods, 

 without any extraordinary intervention. The seeds of the Cucumber and Melon will 

 keep fresh so long, that gardeners say the longer they are kept, the better they are ; 

 which, if true, would render them of remarkable value by "the end of the world." 

 Nevertheless, they certainly will keep fresh a great many years. The Turnip, the 

 Balsam, or Lady Slipper of Pliiladelphians, and the Parsley, are instances of easy 

 vitality, though of a few years less than the Gourd tribe ; while the Onion, Spinach, 

 or Lettuce, will seldom germinate over one year. 



In all these cases, their preservation is owing to their not being in a position to 

 admit of the mechanical action of heat and moisture in preparing their integuments, 

 or outer coverings, for the chemical action of the elements conducive to germination — 

 an explanation that will be better understood after we examine what induces germina- 

 tion. It will be sufficient here to remark that the vitality of seeds is entirely depend- 

 ent on this relative position of heat and moisture. Some seeds require more moisture 

 than others to tempt them to germinate; others must be indulged with more heat 

 than water, in comparison : but every kind of seed requires its own due proportion of 

 each. Seeds of many plants, as the Water Lilies, will only grow in water; and of 

 these, some, as the Victoria, must have an accompanying degree of heat of over YO'', 

 while our Yellow Pond Lily will germinate at 56°. Other plants, as the Balsam, 

 Thunbergia, Globe Amaranthus, &c., will readily grow in comparatively dry soi 

 this class the same difterence in the required degree of heat is apparent as in th 



