2 Buried Weed Seeds 



From 1840 to 1857 germination experiments were carried on by a 

 committee appointed by the British Association, and the results were 

 summarised in a series of reports. 220 species were very fully tested with 

 the following results^ : 



The table indicates that the majority of seeds retain their germinating 

 capacity for comparatively few years, three years and eight years being 

 the critical time for a large number of species. The seeds were kept under 

 ordinary conditions of dry storage, and were representative of 67 

 natural orders. A few typical farm weeds were included: 



The length of time that seeds retain their germinating capacity has a 

 very practical bearing on agriculture in connection with the vitality of 

 the weed seeds that are buried in the soil and that are brought to the 

 surface by cultivation. The conditions under which seeds exist when 

 buried in the soil are utterly different from those of dry storage, and while 

 some seeds are probably enabled to retain their germinating capacity for 

 much longer jjeriods when buried, others succumb at an early stage. Seeds 

 in the soil are subject to fluctuating conditions of temperature, moisture, 



1 British Association Reports, 1850, pp. 160-1U8; 1857, pp. 43-56. 



