84 THE VITALITY AND GERMINATION OF SEEDS. 



taken from the point of union of the axis and the cotyledons. These 

 possessed stronger hydroly tic powers, the preparations from the living 

 and dead beans each giving clear reactions with Fehling's solution. 

 A third series of tests was made by stopping the germination of beans 

 when the radicles were from 1 to 1.5 cm. long. These were then kept 

 quite dry for nearly seven months, after which the dessicated radicles 

 were broken off and macerated like the above. This solution was then 

 allowed to act on starch paste, and the transformations were almost as 

 rapid and complete as when a 1 per cent solution of commercial " Taka" 

 diastase was used. 



These results lead one to believe that the loss of vitality in seeds is 

 not due to the disorganization of the enzymes present. There is some- 

 thing more fundamental and probably more complex to which we must 

 look for this life-giving principle. True, as Maquenne has suggested, 

 there is a close relationship between the loss of vitality- in seeds and 

 the decomposition of enzymes. 



In order to determine what such a relationship might signify, the 

 following series of experiments were made: 



Beans, peas, cabbage, lettuce, onion, phlox, and pansy seed, with 

 definite quantities of good commercial "Taka" diastase, were put up 

 in bottles of 120 cc. capacity, as follows: 



(1) In bottle closed with cork stopper. 



(2) In bottle closed with cork stopper and paraffined. 



(3) 0.5 cc. of water in the bottle with the seeds and the diastase, the 

 bottle sealed with paraffin. 



(4) 1 cc. of water in the bottle with the seeds and the diastase, the 

 bottle sealed with paraffin. 



(5) 2 cc. of water in the bottle with the seeds and the diastase, the 

 bottle sealed with paraffin. 



(6) 3 cc. of water in the bottle with the seeds and the diastase, the 

 bottle sealed with paraffin. 



(7) 4 cc. of water in the bottle with the seeds and the diastase, the 

 bottle sealed with paraffin. 



The water in each case was carefully added on small strips of filter 

 paper and never were the seeds or the diastase wet, only becoming 

 gradually moist as the water was absorbed. 



These different preparations, each containing one of each of the sam- 

 ples of seeds and a definite quantity of the dry powdered diastase, 

 were then maintained at the temperature of the laboratory for a period 

 of 85 days. At the end of that time the vitality of the seeds was deter- 

 mined and simultaneously the hydrolytic power of the diastase was 

 ascertained. The results of the germination tests are given in Table 

 XXIX. The effect of the increased quantity of moisture on the diastase 

 is given in the discussion following the table. 



