8 



in diameter, and an inner of clay seven inches in diameter. Within 

 the inner plate filter-paper is placed upon which the seeds are sown. 

 In the outer plate a constant supply of M'ater is kept which graduall}' 

 pa'ises through the plate of porous clay, keeping the filter-paper 

 within, constantly moist. The seeds are sown upon the filter-paper 

 in the manner shown in the left hand pan in Figure 5. The paper is 

 divided into eight equal parts, seven of these are used for the treated 

 seeds while the eighth or is for the normal or untreated seeds. 



A second piece of moist filter-paper is placed over the seeds, resting 

 upon them and touching at various points the paper beneath. In 

 this manner the covering is kept moist by absor[)tion. A plate pre- 

 pared for germination is shown at the right in Figure 5. In order 

 to insure perfect daikness a piece of black ciirdboard was placed 

 over the pan in such a manner as to shut out the light, but not pre- 

 vent a free circulation of air. 



In this form of pan the young plants can be grown without diffi- 

 culty until the hyjiocotyls are two or three centimeters long. The 

 moist filter-paper, which constitutes the covering of the seeds, offer- 

 ing but little obstruction to growth. 



EFFECTS OF ELECTRICITY IN GERMINATION AND 



GROWTH OF RADICLES, (ROOTS). 



Of White Mustard (Brassica all)n, Boiss) Red Clover (Trifolium 

 pratense, L) Rape (Brassica napus, L.) and Barky (Ilordeum 

 vulgare, L.) 



TABLI.S I.— VIII. 



InTablesI. — IV. the seeds were treated with an interrupted induced 

 current from a l)u Bois-Reymond induction coil for a period of two 

 minutes, the coil being connected with a four Leclanche ctU battery. 

 Two hundred seeds of each variety were taken. These were soaked 

 in water for a period of twenty-four hours, after which each lot of 

 two hundred seeds was divided into eiuht lots of twenty-live seeds 

 each. Seven of these lots were treated with the electric current in 

 the apparatus shown in Figure "2, as previously desciibed. The eighth 

 was left untreated and served as normal plants for comparison. 

 Aftei- treatment, these seeds were sown in germinating pans as shown 

 in P'igure o, which, after having been prepared for germination, were 

 placed where the tem[)erature was ke[)t from 18*^ C (G4.4° F) to 

 20° C (68'^ F). 



