New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. eiclt 
peas of very low specific gravity were examined physically. In 
this case it was found that the cotyledons were very imperfectly 
developed and did not completely fill the seed-coat, whereas in 
normal seeds the cotyledons do fill the seed-coat. In normal 
seeds the cotyledons are also closely and firmly united, but in 
abnormally light seeds they are only slightly united, show con- 
siderable air space between them, and are very easily split, which 
is not the case with good seeds. In one seed of specific gravity 
1.001 the cotyledon had not filled the space immediately under 
the radicle. The whole texture of the cotyledons was soft and 
they were easily crushed. This is not the case with normally 
developed seeds. At anotlrer time a seed of specific gravity 1.03 
was under examination. It was noticed that the cotyledons 
were loose within the testa; and when the seed was split and 
one-half of it inverted, the contents fell out of the seed-coat of 
their own weight. In a seed of normal specific gravity the coty- 
ledon adheres very closely to the seed-coat. In the seed of spe- 
cific gravity of 1.03, just referred to, the specific gravity of each 
cotyledon taken singly was about 1.25. Here again is indicated 
how unreliable an index the apparent specific gravity of the 
whole seed may be to the specific gravity of the essential parts 
within. 
In the case of cabbage seeds also, differences in specific gravity 
were found to be correlated with differences in physical charac- 
ter. In a cabbage seed of normal specific gravity the embryo is 
of a shade of lemon yellow and the cotyledons which surround 
it are of a slightly greenish hue; but in seeds of very low specific 
gravity, that is, less than 1.00, this difference in color was not 
observed to exist. The entire interior of the seed is uniformly 
yellowish, but of a lighter and more buff-like color than in the 
plump seed. The light seed is also noticeably drier than the 
heavy seed and on a casual examination appears to be of a more 
woody texture; but microscopic examination does not confirm 
this impression. A seed of very low specific gravity is also not 
well developed internally, the cotyledons not being in close con- 
tact either with the radicle or with the seed-coat. If such a seed 
is cut in half and inverted the kernel will fall out of the seed-coat. 
This is not the case with a normal seed. 
