448 ‘BOTANICAL GAZETTE [DECEMBER 
live material, alcoholic, and dried preparations. It is only by a 
study of all these preparations that he feels able to present authori- 
tative data. 
Germination tests 
The seeds of B. sagitiata are ripe about the first week of July. 
From that time they soon become dislodged from the receptacle and 
fall to the ground. Between July 6 and July 15, 1915, several 
thousand seeds were collected and sorted into two tentative groups, 
those considered viable and those considered non-viable. ‘The latter 
group comprised about 90 per cent of the whole. Of this non-viable 
group almost half were eaten at the base of the seed by the Typetenid 
parasite, and the remainder were small and shriveled, due to lack 
of nourishment. This non-viable group was discarded. Of the 
seeds saved, 100 choice ones were selected October 19, 1915, and . 
weighed. Their total net weight was 1.041 gm. They were then 
soaked in concentrated sulphuric acid for 8 minutes, carefully 
rinsed in distilled water several times, and placed in a sterile moist 
chamber at about 30° C. during the test. The record is as follows: 
SERIES I 
October 19; I00 ti ein: seeds weighed, sterilized, and set to germinate 
in sterile moist c 
November 3; one oe aid beginning to burst testa; hypocotyl protruding. 
November 5; 3 seeds burst testa; hypocotyl of one 11 mm. long. 
November 6; 13 seeds found soft and decaying; thrown out. 
November 10; 11 seeds found soft and discarded. 
November 11; 5 seeds germinating; 4 thrown off testa. 
November 12; 12 seeds found soft and thrown out. 
November 14; 8 seeds germinating. 
November 17; mold developing; those seeds not yet germinating but con- 
sidered sound rinsed in weak formalin solution, then thoroughly rinsed in dis- 
tilled water. 
November 28; ro seeds germinating; 5 of these fixed in Carnoy’s fluid, 
5 transferred to cork supports in beakers of water and allowed to continue 
growth; all ungerminated seeds discarded 
Later, no further growth 
SERIES It 
November 18; 100 seeds selected, soaked in sulphuric acid for 5 minutes, 
thoroughly rinsed, and set to germinate between damp filter paper in chamber 
as in Series I; average temperature 30° C 
