THE THREE CONDITIONS OF THE SEED 49 



below is that the two germinable seeds, the permeable, 

 deficiently shrunken seed and the normal, impermeable seed, 

 when swelling for germination, take up much the same amount 

 of water that they surrendered in the shrinking process. In 

 other words, the needs for germination are satisfied by the 

 seed's regaining the water previously lost, the permeable seed 

 taking least and the impermeable seed most. This is well 

 brought out in the ratios given in the table ; and thus we see 

 how, without impairing the germinative powers, deficient 

 shrinkage leads to decrease in the swelling capacity and to the 

 loss of impermeability. 



TABLE SHOWING THE DIFFERENT EFFECTS OF EXCESSIVE, DEFICIENT, 

 AND NORMAL SHRINKAGE ON SEEDS THAT ARE TYPICALLY IMPER- 

 MEABLE IN THE RESTING STATE, AS ILLUSTRATED BY THE RESULTS 

 OF EXPERIMENTS ON THE SEEDS OF GUILANDINA BONDUCELLA. 



The shrinking ratio for the normal resting seed was mainly obtained by comparing 

 the average weights of seeds in different stages of contraction on the same plant. 



The weight of the resting seed averages nearly 40 grains ; but for convenience in 

 stating the ratios the weight of 33 grains is employed in the table and in the text. 



The important lesson of the seeds of Guilandina bonducella 

 in this matter is that decrease in the swelling capacity is 



4 



