No. 133.] 357 



Farmers- Club, JVovember 30M, 1852'. 



Samuel Griffing, Esq., of N. J., in the chair. Henry Meig?, 

 Secretary. 



Present. — Afessrs. Griffing of New Jersey ; Hyde, of Fulton 

 County, New-York ; A. P. Cummings, PresideDt Tallmadge, Mr. 

 Dickey, Dr. Austin Church, Judge Van Wyck, Messrs. Holmes.. 

 Hardenbrook, and others. 



The secretary read the following paper prepared by him, pre- 

 mising, in reference to the vitality of seeds, that the most learn- 

 ed men of the day take a very deep interest in that subject — thai 

 it is a question whose mysteries eagerly want explanation. 



VITALITY OF SEEDS. 



Some months ago the Club received an amount of raspberry 

 seeds, found in the grave of a man who had been buried about 

 1,700 years, germinating on being planted. Many persons enter- 

 tained doubts of the truth of this. We now extract from pro- 

 ceeding of the 22d meeting of the British association for the ad- 

 vanccment of science. 



Dr. Lankester read the 12th report of a committee appointed. 

 to make experiments on the growth and vitality of seeds. The 

 seeds set apart for this year's sowing were those collecteii 

 in 1814. It was the third time the same seeds had been experi- 

 mented on, and it was found that there was a very evident de- 

 crease in the numbers of those which have vegetated compared 

 with those of previous sowings. Dr. Lankester explained the ob- 

 ject of the committee, and stated that the fact of raspberry seeHi- 

 growing, whicli had been taken from the stomach of the body of 

 a human being, buried in a tumulus in Dorsetshire, and which 

 had been doubted, had been reinvestigated during the past yeafj. 

 and there seemed no reason to doubt that the seeds thus burrietl. 

 for centuries had germinated. 



Dr. Royle stated that, having been present when the original 

 mass of matter from the stomach of the dead person was brought 

 to Dr. Lindley, in London, and the raspberry seeds discovered it. 

 He liad no doubt of the correctness of the conclusion, that Ibfr 



