[Proo. Koy. Soc. Victoria, 23 ( X.S.). Tt. II, ]9111. 



Akt. XXXI. — Loiujevilij of Seeds av<l Structure and 

 Nat are of Seed Coat. 



By bertha bees, 



Government Research Bursar. 



(With Phites LXXIX.-LXXXI.). 

 [Eead 8th December, 1910]. 



The subject for this paper was suggested to me by Professor 

 Ewart some time after the publication of his work on Longevity 

 of Seeds. 1 From his experiments he found that the majority of 

 macrobiotic seeds belong to the order Legiiminosae, and that 

 the highest percentage of germination occvu*s among the so- 

 called " hard " seeds, which require soaking in sulphuric acid 

 or other treatment to make them swell up in water. In the 

 appendix to the same paper Dr. White showed that the hardness 

 is almost invariably due to the presence of a distinct cuticle 

 of varying thickness. In the small seeds the cuticle alone seems 

 to confer impermeability, but in the larger types the palisade 

 cells are also responsible. 



As a large number of the hard seeds are of economic value, 

 it is advisable to devise some convenient method of softening 

 them, and, further, the method must be such as will have no 

 detrimental effect on the germination. This work includes also 

 records of a number of tests made for the purpose of ascertain- 

 ing the lengths of time during which various seeds retain their 

 power of germinating. This part is merely a few supplementary 

 records to those made and compiled by Prof. Ewart in 1908. 



The work has been carried out in the Botanical Laboratory 

 of the Melljourne University under the supervision of Professor 

 Ewart, to whom I wish to express my thanks for his assistance 

 and untiring interest. I take the opportunity of thanking Mr. 

 H. Pye, of the Dookie Agricultural College, and the Agricultural 

 Department, for supplies of seeds through the National Her- 

 barium, Melbourne. 



1 Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria, vol. xxi., pt. i. (1908). 



