34 GERMINATION 



substance, however, is, doubtless sufficiently high to ensure 

 adequate electrical tension. 



In Studies in Electro-Physiology, I stated my belief that 

 puncture of the inner membrane of the acorn — or indeed 

 of any seed — would prevent germination by reason of inter- 

 ference with its electrical structure. The experiment had 

 not then been tried but as it was a point which called for 

 settlement, I perforated a number of acorns, using for the 

 purpose an ivory stylus. 



Generally speaking this could not be otherwise than fatal 

 because with the perforation of the insulating membrane 

 the electrostatic capacity of the seed would be lost. But 

 such curious provision seems to have been made by Nature 

 for all sorts of accidents and unfavourable conditions that 

 if animal instead of vegetable life were concerned we should 

 suspect intelligence. The " repair outfits " of vegetables 

 and fruits has been frequently mentioned by me and it 

 now remains to be seen what happened to a number of 

 acorns which were pierced to the centre of the seed and 

 then potted and left for six weeks before examination. 



The first, which fairly represented all the others, with one 

 exception, presented the following appearance : 



Degeneration proceeded rapidly and it was abundantly 

 evident that the seed was dead. 



But in the case of the exception above-mentioned a very 

 extraordinary thing had occurred. This seed had germinated 

 and protruded a radicle four-and-a-half inches in length, 

 although there was no visible sign of the plumule. 



It gave me a very bad quarter of an hour, for notwith- 

 standing the failure of the others it seemed, upon the face 

 of it, to be subversive of my theory of electrostatic action 

 and to render all my work abortive. 



But closer scrutiny brought relief. The hole made by the 

 stylus had been accidentally plugged with clay in the course 



