1917] FAUST—RESIN SECRETION 451 
about 200 per plot of 300 square ft. had been seed producers. Yet 
only 5 seedlings were found in the count in plot 1, only 6 in the 
first count in plot 2, and only 3 in the second count in plot 2, aver- 
aging 4.66 per cent, a much lower average secured than for seeds 
germinated indoors. It is evident from the dominance of this 
species in the society in which it lives that it depends largely upon 
the continued growth from the rootstock from year to year for 
maintenance of its dominance. It is not unusual for the individual 
rootstock to produce 100-300 seeds. This would more than replace 
the plant each year if the laboratory germination test were effective 
in the field, but the lower germination record for field plants indi- 
cated beyond a doubt that the plant could not be replaced each 
year by the new seedlings. 
The germination in the field is comparatively late. The first 
of the consocies to germinate is the seed of Lupinus ornatus, which 
begins about March 1. Since B. sagittata does not fruit until the 
third or fourth year, but gives up all the time and energy the first 
two years to growth and food storage, it is evident that early ger- 
mination is not essential to the best interests of the plant; yet the 
blooming rootstocks of B. sagitatta are in flower long before the 
lupine. 
Of the factors determining germination, air (oxygen) is un- 
doubtedly the most important. A test of this factor was made in 
a group of seeds not included in the series just cited. The same 
conditions prevailed in this series as in the recorded series, except 
that they were covered with a sterile crystallizing dish so as to 
exclude air. There was no germination. A careful comparison 
with the recorded series seems to indicate that oxygen is more 
necessary to prevent fungous growth than as a factor in the meta- 
bolic processes of germination per se. When seeds are once set to 
germinate, moisture is constantly necessary for germination, as 
indicated in Series II and III. 
The temperature coefficient of germination is interesting. It 
is evident that germination is more rapid at first at 30° than at 
a lower temperature. However, although germination at 25° is 
slower, that appears to be a more advantageous condition, since 
at that point a maximum growth of the plant is effected for a 
