394 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [MAY 
3. WouNDING.—Various attempts were then made to see if 
the slowness of germination soon after harvest could be influenced 
by other external factors. Tests of light and darkness did not seem 
to indicate for the wild oat the importance ascribed to these factors 
by German investigators for other seeds. Using a sterilized needle 
and pricking the true seed coat of seeds from which the shell coats 
had been removed tended to raise the germination percentage as 
pointed out by several other workers. The results given in table 
II were typical. 
TABLE II 
PER CENT GERMINATION 
No, TESTED MontTH 
Pricked Check 
MOONS sak Pas Ce aa vas December 1911 100 35 
1000 a ee a ee, December 1912 97 48 
As regards the relation of seed wounds and water intake, 
Coupin (15) has shown that wounds increase the speed of intake, 
but have no influence on the maximum absorbing power. In 
order to accomplish the same result of breaking the seed coat 
without so much danger of infection, the method was adopted of 
searing the seed near the embryo with a red hot needle. Similar in- 
creases in germinative j tage were again noticed. To determine 
whether the modified behavior of seared seeds could be attributed 
to “wound effects” of a temporary character, dry seeds were seared, 
and after a month compared with other seeds previously soaked in 
water for 24 hours in the ice chest and then seared just before 
placing in the germinator. No marked difference could be noted 
in the two lots. Typical results of searing the seeds of A. faiua 
are shown in table III. 
TABLE III 
PER CENT GERMINATION 
Toe No. SEEDS 
Seared oo ee 
Febrosty Wo. 605 gk sk 100 95 Lid 
March 1989) 4.055.435 235 100 100 Les 
December 1989525 v5 cc eck 100 99 5? 
(ge iy eager od 100 95 - 
January 1913 100 100 6S 
January 1913 roo 
beeen 
