74 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Influence of Chemical Solutions upon the Germina- 

 tion OF Seeds. 



It is well known that there are many chemical solutions 

 which accelerate and retard the germination of seeds ; it is 

 also known that germinating seeds are veiy susceptible to 

 changes in temperature and moisture, to variations in the 

 degree and kinds of light, to the amount of oxygen they 

 receive, to the influence of electricity, etc. It was our 

 idea, in inaugurating these experiments, to determine to 

 what degree seeds could be accelerated in their germination, 

 and also to what extent their germinating capacity could be 

 increased. Experiments in this direction have been carried 

 on in this department since 1895, but they have been inter- 

 rupted a number of times. These experiments have been 

 directed along two lines, namely, a study of the influence of 

 physical factors upon germination, and a study of the efl*ects 

 of different chemical solutions upon germination. The re- 

 sults of the former experiments have already been published, 

 in a luilletin entitled " Electro germination ; " while some of 

 the results of the latter, which have been carried on by Mr. 

 E. H. Sharpe, at one time a student in the college, constitute 

 the subject of this article. 



Any form of treatment capable of accelerating the germi- 

 nation of seeds possesses perhaps more scientific than prac- 

 tical value ; but there are, nevertheless, some high-priced 

 seeds which do not retain their germinating capacity very 

 long, and, if the percentage of germination can be materially 

 increased at a small expense, such a treatment would be 

 worthy of practical consideration. It is not our purpose, 

 however, to maintain, from the results shown in the follow- 

 ing tables, that they warrant practical application. 



The solutions selected for these experiments are those 

 which are frequently found in seeds and seedlings ; and it 

 was thought that, by applying these solutions to the seeds 

 for a certain number of hours, they might supply the defi- 

 ciency in some essential constituent, and thus enable poorer 

 and exhausted seeds to germinate. There are many seeds 

 which do not retain the power of germinating very long ; 

 and it might be supposed that one cause of this had some 



