ON THE GROWTH AND VITALITY OF SEEDS. 



35 



during the present year towards forming an extensive collection of seeds of 

 at least one species of as many genera of plants as practicable, to be sub- 

 jected to various modes of preservation, for the purpose of carrying on a se- 

 ries of experiments with the view of ascertaining the true limit of their ve- 

 getative durability, the curator begs to say, that he has, under the immediate 

 superintendence of the Committee appointed to investigate the same, since 

 October 1, 1841, received and collected seeds of 78 species of 60 genera, 

 illustrating 25 natural families of plants, which are now preserved according 

 to the mode decided on as that to be generally adopted ; namely, in brown- 

 paper parcels placed in earthen jars with one aperture, and covered with a 

 stratum of fine sand. 



Besides the mode just referred to as particularly determined on for general 

 adoption, the curator has also put up some wheat and also seeds of Lasthenia 

 calif ornica, gathered in 1841, each in amass in porous earthen jars toith two 

 apertures, which are covered with fine wire-gauze. A few seeds also of some 

 of the same species as those preserved according to the prescribed mode are 

 put up in waxed cloth, by way of comparison of methods of preservation. 



The subjoined is a list of seeds, of which, with few exceptions, a sufficient 

 quantity of each species has been obtained and already put up for experiments, 

 if sown according to the scheme entered in the resolutions, up to the year 1909. 



Of these seeds a portion has been purchased, and the remainder has been 

 received from the London Horticultural Society, the Oxford Botanic Gar- 

 den, and the Editor of the Gardener's Chronicle. 



A certain number of seeds of each of the species entered in this list have 

 this spring been sown, as directed, at the Oxford Botanic Garden, the Cam- 

 bridge Botanic Garden, and also at the Garden of the London Horticultural 

 Society at Chiswick, the result of which will be seen by reference to the 

 following table: — 



Name and Date when gathered. 



1834. 



Arabis lucida 



Hypericum Kalmianum . 

 Passiflora Herbertiana . 



1835. 



Gilia capitata 



Gypsophila elegans . . . 

 Polemonium gracile . . 

 Hypecoum procumbens 

 Potentilla nepalensis . . 

 Horminum pyrenaicum 

 Euphorbia Lathyris . . 

 Berberis Aquifolium . . 



1836. 



Clematis erecta 



Hypecoum procumbens 



No. of 

 Seeds 

 of each 

 Species 

 sown, 

 1842. 



500 

 150 

 125 



500 



500 



125 



50 



300 



50 



25 



20 



50 

 50 



No. of Seeds of each 

 Species which vege- 

 tated at 



Ox- Cam- Chis- 

 ford. bridge, wick. 



Time of vegetating. 

 In days at 



Ox- Cam- Chis- 

 ford. bridge, wick. 



28 



d2 



