212 



STUDIES IN SEEDS AND FRUITS 



coverings is well shown, not only in the general lack of 

 correspondence of seeds in this respect, but in extreme cases 

 like that of Hura crepitans^ where the seeds, on account of the 

 large swelling ratio of the coats, stand nearly at the head of the 

 first column, and on account of the small swelling ratio of the 

 kernel are placed nearly at the bottom in the second column. 



The run of the data in the above table would therefore 

 lead us to expect that whilst the coats of permeable, variable, 

 and impermeable seeds would on the average possess swelling 

 ratios not far apart from each other, the kernels of these three 

 seed-types would differ markedly in this feature, the imper- 

 meable seed displaying the largest, the permeable seed the 

 smallest, and the variable seed a ratio intermediate in amount. 

 This expectation is fulfilled in the following tabulated results 

 of the table, whether for all the seeds or for the leguminous 

 seeds only, though it is on the indications of the leguminous 

 seed that we must mainly rely, since the disturbing influences 

 of different ordinal characters are then eliminated. 



Tabulated Summary of the preceding Table showing the Average 

 Swelling Ratios of the Coats and Kernels of Permeable, 

 Variable, and Impermeable Seeds when preparing for 

 Germination. 



Their con- The interesting indications afforded in the tabulated 



the water- summary just given become more important when we connect 

 percentage, them with the water-contents of the resting seed as signified 



