1914] SHULL—GERMINATION 65 
of the respiration of intact seeds. That part is now shown to be 
considerable, amounting in this instance to 20 per cent of the total. 
The respiration of lower and upper seeds with coats intact 
under atmospheric conditions of germination was compared, with 
the result that two lowers used 0.687 cc. and the two uppers 
0.509 cc. of oxygen in 42.3 hours, a ratio of lowers to uppers of 
1.35:1. It should be said that upper seeds always weigh less 
on the average than the lowers; and in using equal numbers of 
seeds the weight of respiring substance is somewhat less in the 
uppers. 
The respiration of the lowers with coats on and coats off in 
ordinary atmosphere is especially interesting (see table I). 
TABLE I 
OXYGEN USED 
TIME Ratio 
Coats off Coats on 
10 hours... ... ©. 500 Cc. 0.3615 cc. 1. 38:1 
10-15 ee. 0.478 “ 0.1025 “ 4.65:1 
J! ST See ae 0.316 * 0.040 “ 7-9 +1 
SAG os 1.294 “ 0.504 “ 2.57 :1 
TABLE II 
OxYGEN USED 
Tme : “Ratio 
Coats off Coats on 
7 OM ©. 1609 cc. 0.075 CC. 2.1471 
oy SER naa ea 0.618 “ 8, i107 * 5.58:1 
Total, 17.25 hours. . . 0.9825 “ 0.1947 “ 5.046:1 
A similar test with uppers is shown in table II. The coats were 
not placed in the chambers with the embryos where coats were off, 
so that the ratios in the tables are too low as regards actual embryo 
respiration. The rapid increase of use of oxygen by naked embryos 
as germination commences is well illustrated. 
Finally, the oxygen used by uppers and lowers with coats on, 
in an atmosphere 96 per cent oxygen, was compared, with significant 
-Tesults. Two lower seeds used 1. 007 CC. in 12.5 hours, while the 
