210 On the Duration of the germinative Faculty of Seeds. 
know how these sceds have been preserved, because by 
taking particular care they might be preserved still longer 
from the contact of the air. 
At the beginning of May 1809, T sowed on a common 
bed 350 species of seeds of all families and of a great num- 
ber of genera. I shall not minutely enter into the particu- 
lars required for this experiment, which lasted eighteen 
months, but shall give the results of my observations. 
The following in the first place are the names of the 
seeds which came up. 
Cavnacorus. 
Cannacorus Americanus minor 
Asphodelus albus. 
Ceyba viticis folio, caudice aculeato. Bombax 1, 
Phaseolus semine tamarindi. 
Anagyris fetida. 
Galega frutescens, flore purpureo, foliis sericeis. 
Ptelea trifoliata. 
Paliurus aculeatus, 
Ceanothus Americanus. 
Making in all ten species. As the second year since the 
sowing has not passed, it is possible that some of the seeds 
will still come up during the second or third year. Among 
these ten species, we ought to remark the two cannz and 
the asphodeli, the seeds of which are furnished with a large 
perisperma, which does not seem to have injured their 
preservation: for we generally observe that the seeds 
furnished with a perisperma, like those of the umbelliferous 
plants, the rubiacez, &c. speedily Jose their germinative fa- 
culty. 
In making this experiment, I observed that in many 
seeds the embryo was preserved in a good state, that it 
swelled like that of new seeds at the moment of germina- 
tion, when the humidity and heat are first developed; but 
that it perished some time afterwards, because the cotyle- 
dons being obliterated could not transmit to it the juices 
necessary to its development. 
In order to establish a point of comparison between 
these old seeds and fresh ones, I sowed upon the same bed 
about 300 species of seeds gathered the preceding year for 
the Museum of Natural History, and chosen as niuch as 
possible from among the same genera as the old. Being 
desirous of knowing the period which both kinds took to 
come up, I made a note of it in my register. I observed. 
that the old seeds, which ought to have germinated within 
the year, took Jess time.todo so than the new ones; and 
that 
: Canna Linn. 
