onthe Vegetation of Seeds 491 
faturated with water at the end of two days; 
at leaft I judged it to be the cafe from the 
following circumftances: feventeen of them 
weighed two drams on the fecond of February ; 
and the fame number came within a very few 
grains of the fame weight, over. or under, to 
the end of the experiment. Thus it féems clear, 
that it isa matter of indifference, whether foaked 
feeds be feparated from the air, by the interpo- 
fition of water or azote; becaufe it is almoft cer- 
tain, from the preceding remark, that the for- 
mer fluid has no power to change the nature 
of them, after they are fully charged with it. 
It is evident from this experiment, that the 
putrefactive fermentation, or an emiffion of gas. 
from their fubftance, deftroys the vegetative fa- 
culty of peas; from which we may venture to 
conclude, that it has, fooner or later, the fame 
effet on all other feeds expofed to its in- 
fluence. 
This experiment being made in cold wea- 
ther, the deftructive procefs proceeded but flowly, 
and the peas ufed were long in lofing the power 
of producing. In order therefore to determine 
how far an increafe of temperature would acce- 
lerate the commencement of putrefaction, I 
repeated it twice during the warmer months of 
fummer, in a reom where the thermometer va- 
ried from 60°. to 66°. In the former of thefe 
Ppp2 trials, 
