III. 



LABORATORY NOTES. 



I. GERMINATION OF PHOENIX lX\CTYLIFERA. 



(Presented to the vScientitic Association, Octo]:)er 29th, 1889.) 



At one of the meetings of the Scientific Association, early in 

 April, some members of the society asked how the date seed (Phoenix 

 Dactylifera), germinated; whether the shoot came from out the little 

 groove in the seed, from either end or from the back, and if it was 

 always uniform or depended on the position of the seed. 



During the informal discussion which followed several opinions 

 were offered, but, as no one seemed positive about the matter, a com- 

 mittee was formed to study into the subject and report at some future 

 meeting. I was chairman of the committee, and failing to find any 

 satisfaction from numerous books consulted, determined to find the de- 

 sired information by means of a series of practical experiments. 



In a box of loose soil composed of sand, loam and leaf mold, I 

 planted six well developed, healthy date seeds. They xVere planted in 

 different depths of earth, ranging from 4 inches to i^ inches from the 

 surface of the box, and were each in a different position — one vertical, 

 one horizontal, one inclined to the right and one inclined to the left 

 and one each with the groove up and down, as seen in Plate A, 

 />'<,•■. I . 



The seeds were jjlanted tlie first week in June, were kept in the 

 sun as much as possible and watered with hot water. The loth of 

 August signs of life began to show themselves. By the last of the 



