255 



2. LONG PERIODS OF IMMERSION 



Reference has already been made to the work started on this 

 problem in the laboratory of plant physiology at the University of 

 Illinois previous to the publication of the report by Professor Forbes 

 ('08). This work was abandoned before any definite results had 

 been obtained, but the corn immersed in kerosene at that time (Feb- 

 ruary 6, 1906) was set aside and kept in the storeroom of the labora- 

 tory in a loosely covered fruit- jar until the present work was begun. 

 The oil had become yellow and was of the consistency of thin syrup. 

 There was about a pint of this corn — an amount far too small to per- 

 mit any elaborate tests, but sufficient to demonstrate conclusively that 

 under optimum conditions a considerable portion of it was capable of 

 germination and perfectly normal growth. 



The majority of the trials recorded in Table 4 were made when 

 the preliminary experiments, already referred to, were in progress. 

 Of these trials, No. 3 yielded the highest per cent, of germination 

 and was in every way the most satisfactory of any which had been 

 made up to that time. After the treatment indicated in the table, the 

 grains used in this trial were placed on filter-paper in a germinating 

 pan with barely enough moisture present to initiate the growth proc- 

 esses. x\s soon as a definite growth of root and coleoptile appeared 

 the grains were transferred to soil in which the moisture was some- 

 what higher but which did not exceed 30% saturation. This method 

 was followed in all subsequent trials made with this corn. The seed- 

 lings recorded in the colunm under per cent, of normal grozvth were 

 just as vigorous and had just as good color as the check seedlings 

 A\ hich were grown from corn less than one year old. Plate XVI is a 

 picture of two stalks of the corn grown from grains immersed in kero- 

 sene for eight years (Trial 9, Table 4). 



A number of attempts were made to germinate grains of this 

 corn in 50 and 75% saturated soil but all were complete failures. 



