On the Vitaliti/ of Farm Seeds. 



173 



required would be very small in the second year, when the seed 

 had dried but little, but would increase laler. That this is so 

 is shown by the tables. It is specially distinct in the cases 

 where all the seeds germinated early : in the second year a 

 small percentage lagged into the second week, and in the third 

 year some of them were seen to lag even further behind ; see, 

 for examples, green-top swede and the two turnips. 



In the case of seeds which were specially slow in germina- 

 tion, the result is at first sight more puzzling. Every one of 

 the five shows a more rapid germination in the second year 

 than in the first, and in three of them it is more rapid still in 

 the third year than in the second. These slow-growing seeds 

 need a larger total amount of heat and moisture to start them 

 gex-minating, which they get in the germinating case by the 

 lapse of a little more time. Presumably they are those which 

 undei- open-air conditions may lie one or two years in the 

 ground without germinating. After a year or two some change 

 makes them able to do with a less total amount of heat and 

 moisture, so that in nature they grow after such delay, while 

 in the experimental conditions their growth is earlier. By 

 tracing their history a year or two longer, as in the subjoined 

 table, we find that all of them begin to " lag," just as do the 

 rapidly-growing seeds before referred to. 



i'krcentagk of all living seeds which germinated in the first 



Week. 



I 

 i 



Sheep's Fescue 



Sweet Vernal 



Cocksfoot .... 



AVoud Meadow Gras.s . 



Smooth-stalked Meadow Grass 



1901 





 19 



9 

 13 



2 



Note on Living Embryos Transferred to Dead Seeds. 



Some years ago Dr. Horace Brown found that the embryo 

 of wheat, when transferred from the store of food in its own 

 seed and placed on the store of food of another seed from which 

 the embryo had been removed, could utilise the food as easily 

 as if it had never been moved. 



Later, Miss Jane Smith cai-efully investigated the condition 

 of the food supply in grains of wheat twenty or more years 

 old. She found that not only were the starch grains in perfect 

 condition, Init the enzymes remained unchanged. The enzymes 

 become active by the influence of the living embryo, and con- 

 vert the starch into dextrine, which can be utilised by the 

 growing embryo. 



[CoUtiliUfll IJll IHIKC li'J. 



