14 GERMINATION OF THE SEED. CHAP. I. 



others a longer period. The Grasses arc among 

 the number of those plants whose seeds are of the 

 most rapid germination ; then perhaps cruciform 

 plants ; then leguminous plants ; then labiate 

 plants ; then umbelliferous plants ; and in the 

 last order rosaceous plants, whose seeds germinate 

 the slowest. The following table indicates the pe- 

 riods of the germination, of a considerable variety 

 of seeds as observed by Adanson.* 



Da\s. 



Wheat, Millet seed 1 



Spinage, Beans, Mustard 3 

 Lettuce, Anise seed. ... 4 



Melon, Cucumber, ") Hyssop 30 



Cress-seed. 3 



Radish, Beet-root .... 6 

 Barley 7 



Days. 



Orache 8 



Purslain 9 



Cabbage . , . . 10 



Parsley 40or50 



Almond, Chesnut,Peach 1 year 

 Rose, Hawthorn, Filbert 2 yrs. 



SECTION II. 

 Physical Phenomena. 



WHEN a seed is committed to the soil under the 

 conditions that have been just specified, it begins, 

 for the most part, soon after to inhale or imbibe 

 air and moisture, and to expand and augment in 

 volume. This is uniformly the first symptom of 

 incipient germination, though not always an in- 

 fallible symptom ; because the seed may swell with 



* Fam. des Plant, torn. i. 



