28 GERMINATION 



garnered. Taking, for example, the age of matured seed to 

 be ten months, we have them, in practice, of all ages from, 

 possibly, four months upwards. 



" If a large number of seeds — any seeds — is sown, the most 

 casual observer must have noticed that they neither ger- 

 minate at the same time nor produce uniformly vigorous 

 plants. In every sowing there must be a percentage of 

 loss. 



*' The Wulfryn process consists in placing the seed to be 

 treated in a bath containing a suitable metallic salt such 

 as calcium or sodium chloride and weakly electrifying the 

 same for a length of time appropriate to the seed under 

 treatment. The solution is then run off, and the seed 

 taken out and dried. 



" The object of the salt is not only to decrease the resis- 

 tance, or, in other words, to increase the conductivity of 

 the seed coat, but to maintain that conductivity during the 

 period of germination. Calcium and Sodium in correct 

 proportions are, moreover, plant foods and assist in the 

 after stimulation of root production. 



" Such, in brief, is a description of the process, but, simple 

 as it appears to be, there is danger of failure if it is handled 

 by inexperienced persons. 



" The present practice is to dry the seed, by heat, upon 

 the floor of a malt kiln. Failure, in my opinion, can only 

 be due to over-heating, which, by diminishing the liquid 

 content of the seed substance must lower the electrostatic 

 capacity, and therefore the vitality, of the seed. In a lesser 

 degree undue hardening of the seed coat would tend to 

 interfere with, or at least delay, germination. 



" Successful drying by heat is dependent upon the two 

 factors of time and temperature, both of which are in turn 

 dependent upon human intelligence. Drying by air in 

 motion would eliminate both factors and render the process 

 as nearly automatic as such a process can be made. 



" It may be imagined by those who have but an elementary 

 knowledge of applied electricity that the treated seed, 

 when dried, is in a condition of comparatively high electri- 

 fication. That, clearly is not the case. 



