198 



STUDIES IN SEEDS AND FRUITS 



the kernel. This excess of water in the wing is probably 

 associated with the watery condition of the fleshy placental 

 column in the living fruit. It will be seen from the discussion 

 of the regime of the drying Mahogany capsule in Note 22 

 of the Appendix that the placental column loses about 70 per 

 cent, of its weight as the fruit dehisces and dries, the loss of 

 the capsular walls being about 60 per cent. Thus we find 

 a regular gradation in the water-contents of a living Mahogany 

 fruit, viz. about 60 per cent, in the fruit walls, about 70 per 

 cent, in the placental column, and about 90 per cent, in the 

 wings of the seeds. We are here referring to the indications 

 supplied by the loss of weight during the natural drying 

 process. 



THE SHRINKING REGIME OF THE PRE-RESTING MAHOGANY SEED, THAT 

 IS TO SAY, OF THE SOFT, UNCONTRACTED, MOIST SEED OF THE 

 FULL-GROWN FRUIT. 



(The data required for this purpose are the weights of the pre-resting and resting 

 seeds and the proportion of parts in each condition. ) 



The pro- 

 portional 

 weights of 

 parts in the 

 three condi- 

 tions of the 

 seed supply 

 data for 

 determining 

 the regime of 

 the shrinking 

 and swelling 

 seed. 



We now pass on to the determination of the proportional 

 weight of the seed's coverings in the two other conditions 

 of the seed, the pre-resting state, when the seed attains its 

 full size in the moist ripe fruit, and the state immediately 

 preceding germination, when the resting seed has absorbed 

 much water, and the embryo is on the eve of continuing 

 its growth that was brought to a standstill during the shrink- 

 ing process. These data being obtained, we shall possess 



