8 LANDRETH — PERSISTENT VITALITY IN SEEDS. [January 19 



1. From the Seed Division of the United States Department of 

 Agricuhure : " We have not conducted any experiments along these 

 lines." 



2. From the Seed Division of Cornell University : " Our director 

 of twenty years ago, Dr. Sturtevant, made some experiments to 

 determine the longevity of radish seeds, and reported that starting 

 with one-year-old seed at 71 per cent., it was at two years 57 per 

 cent., at three years 49 per cent., at five years 37 per cent., six years 

 12 per cent., seven years 3 per cent., twelve years o per cent." 



3. From the Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ontario : " We 

 have no experiments to report. Our observations are that a dry 

 cold atmosphere has little or no influence upon northern-grown 

 seed. The effect of cold depends upon the amount of moisture 

 surrounding the embryo. Northern-grown glutinous wheats are 

 very resistant to cold." 



The summary of these communications, and many others, being 

 to the effect that never before has been presented any similar oppor- 

 tunity under which can be observed the effect of intensely low 

 and prolonged cold as preserving and greatly extending the germi- 

 native force of seeds. These seeds certainly were harvested the 

 summer of 1880 or earlier, consequently were twenty-three years old 

 when the crop was grown. Just here the thought occurs to me, 

 can it be possible that the electrically charged atmosphere, so con- 

 stant in far northern regions, has the effect of prolonging germi- 

 native force. All arctic explorers observe that the atmospheric 

 electric currents add quite one hundred per cent, to the rapidity of 

 plant growth, and to the development of a miraculous brilliancy 

 of color and strength of perfume. 



Bristol. Penn. 



