1914] 



DARSIE, ELLIOTT & PEIRCE— GERMINATING POWER 



129 





increased correspondingly regularly from 1909 to 1911, and the 

 maximum is reached more than 42 hours earlier in the 191 1 seed 

 than in the other two. In this connection it should be stated that, 

 as will be shown later, the comparative viability of the different 

 lots of seed is indicated in the Dewar flasks within 24-48 hours, 

 whereas the seed planted in soil showed nothing within 72 hours. 

 Had there been older seed than that of 1909, the delay in soil would 

 have been still greater in proportion. The data of the flask test 

 are given in table XVIII. 



The increasing heat yield, indicated in the last line of table 

 XVIII, is quite as striking in regularity as the increasing percentage 

 of germination for the crops of the years 1909, 1910, 1911, as re- 

 corded in the table of germinations following. This is shown again, 

 and for another variety of wheat, in table XIX. 



TABLE XIX 



Date 



Time 



1 



Room 



1909 



I9IO 



1911 



February 6 . . 



1:30 P.M. 



i7?o C. 



i6?6 C. 



i6? 3 C. 



i6?7C. 



6.. 



4:30 P.M. 



17 



16.8 



16.4 



16 



9 



7.- 



8:30 A.M. 



17 



17. 1 



16. s 



17- 



3 



7.. 



5:30 P.M. 



17-25 



17.2 



16.65 



17- 



5 



8.. 



9:30 A.M. 



17 



17-5 



16.8 



17- 



9 



8.. 



1:30 P.M. 



1725 



17-5 



16.8 



18. 







8.. 



4:30 P.M. 



17 



17.6 



16. 9 



18. 







9 • 



2:00 P.M. 



17-25 



17.8 



17.0 



18. 



5 



10. . 



8:30 A.M. 



17 



18.2 



17.2 



19. 



1 



10. . 



4:00 P.M. 



17 " 



18.3 



17-3 



19. 



3 



11. . 



8:30 A.M. 



17 



18.5 



17-4 



19. 



8 



11. . 



4:30 P.M. 



17 



18.6 



17 5 



19. 



9 



12. . 



8:30 A.M. 



17 



18.7 



17.6 



19. 



9 



12. . 



4:30 P.M. 



17 



18.8 



17.7 



19. 



9- 



*3-- 



8:30 A.M. 



17 



18.8 



17-75 



198 



Increase in temperature betu 



reen first 









and highest readings 





2?2 



i°45 



3?2 



Ten grams of each harvest, 1909 to 191 1, inclusive, of wheat 

 no. 98, were treated in the usual way and placed in Dewar flasks. 

 The figures are given in table XIX. 



For some unknown reason, the seeds of the 1910 lot started at 

 a disadvantage, the temperature in the flask in which they were 

 contained (flask no. 5) being o?3-o?4 lower than in the other two. 

 Nevertheless, the temperatures behave as in the preceding experi- 



