I20 



STUDIES IN SEEDS AND FRUITS 



There are two other points to be referred to in connec- 

 tion with the behaviour of the bared kernels of impermeable 

 seeds, namely, the respective influences of tropical and 

 temperate climates on the gain in weight in air, and the 

 duration of this excess weight. We would expect the bared 

 kernel of a tropical seed to gain more water from the air 

 in the more humid climate of the West Indies than in 

 the drier climate of the south of England. We should 

 also expect the excess in weight to be permanent yet subject 

 to the ordinary hygroscopic reaction, as long as the seed 

 retains its vitality. 



Results of Experiments on the Seeds of the same Plant in the 

 Tropics (West Indies), and in the South of England. 



The in- 

 fluence of a 

 temperate 

 climate on 

 the absorp- 

 tive capacity 

 of bared 

 impermeable 

 tropical 

 seeds. 



The first point is illustrated in the foregoing table. Since 

 the seeds there referred to, as well as those named below, are 

 all tropical, the question, as far as this investigation is con- 

 cerned, relates to the influence of a temperate climate on the 

 capacity of the bared kernels of impermeable tropical seeds of 

 increasing their weight by absorbing water from the air. The 

 data of the table indicate that the absorptive capacity is 

 diminished in temperate climates. 



The next point is concerned with the permanence of 

 the excess weight acquired by the exposure to air of the 



