CHEMISTRY OF AFTER-RIPENING, GERMINATION, 
AND SEEDLING DEVELOPMENT 
OF JUNIPER SEEDS 
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE HULL BOTANICAL LABORATORY 284 
DEAN A. PAcK 
Introduction 
In a previous paper the author (17) reported the microchemical 
and physical changes accompanying the after-ripening, germination, 
and seedling development of juniper seeds. This work was under- 
taken with the idea of studying the physiological and chemical 
changes occurring in the fats during the after-ripening and the 
seedling development of seeds of Juniperus virginiana. 
Historical 
As early as 1842 Dr Saussure (3), while studying the germina- — 
tion of hemp, madia, and rape seeds, discovered two important 
results that accompany the germination of oily seeds. He con- 
cluded that oily seeds during germination absorb a larger volume 
of oxygen than the volume of carbon dioxide given off, and that 
the percentage of reserve oil decreases and the percentage of sugar 
increases during germination. Part of De SAUSsURE’s work was 
later confirmed by the investigations of HELLRIEGEL (g) and others. 
SACHS (20) in 1859 studied the transformation of oil in many 
seeds, and concluded that starch was directly derived from oils. 
PETERS (19) held this same view, but FLeury (4) denied the con- 
stant appearance of starch, and stated that sugar appeared first. 
The latter investigator was the first to note the probable appear- 
ance of organic acids during germination. 
Mintz (16) was the first to discover the presence of free fatty 
acids in germinating oily seeds. While working on rape, poppy, 
and radish seeds he found that the oil gave rise to free fatty acids. 
He also noted that this free fatty acid increased several fold 
during germination. Although the presence of glycerine was not 
139] [Botanical Gazette, vol. 72 
