SECT. III. CHEMICAL PHENOMENA. 



cording to the calculation of Lavoisier, contain 0'85 

 parts of a grain of carbon. The water which was 

 now evaporated, left as a residue 075 parts of a 

 grain of mucilage and extract ; and the seeds, which 

 were again dried, evolved during the process a 

 quantity of carbon in the form of carbonic acid 

 very nearly equal to the quantity lost in germina- 

 tion. The seeds therefore ought to have weighed 

 200 0-85 + 2 075 = 197-5 grains ; but their 

 actual weight was only 18Q grains. Now besides 

 the principles already mentioned they could have 

 lost only water, and their loss in that respect 

 amounted to 8'5 grains. It remained, however, to 

 be determined whether the loss was occasioned by 

 means of the process of fermentation, or by that of 

 the drying of the seeds ; and the result of the in- 

 quiry was that it was occasioned by the latter : be- 

 cause when the process of vegetation was allowed 

 to proceed to double, or even triple the time, the 

 loss of weight remained the same ; but when the 

 period of drying was prolonged the loss of weight 

 was more considerable. 



Seeds, then, during the process of drying after 

 germination, lose under the modification of water 

 part of their oxygene and hydrogene, which in ef- 

 fect augments the proportion of their carbon. It 

 follows therefore of necessity, that any given weight 

 of seeds dried after germination contains more car- 

 bon than the same weight of seeds dried before 

 germination. But the direct agency of oxygene is 



