OF SEED-SOWING. 165 



seeds in tepid water until signs of germination mani- 

 fest themselves, and then to transfer them to earth : 

 but this process cannot be applied with advantage to 

 seeds in an unhealthy state ; and it is only of use to 

 healthy seeds, by accelerating the time of growth, a 

 practice which may, in out-door crops, be sometimes 

 desirable when applied to seeds which, like the Beet, 

 the Carrot, or the Parsnep, will, in dry seasons, lie so 

 long in the ground without germinating, that they 

 become a prey to birds or other animals. 



Of late years, the singular practice has been intro- 

 duced of boiling seeds, to promote germination. This 

 was, I believe, first recommended by Mr. Bowie, who 

 stated, in the Gardener's Magazine, vol. viii. p. 5, (1832,) 

 that "he found the seeds of nearly all leguminous 

 plants germinate more readily by having water heated 

 to 200°, or even to the boiling point of Fahrenheit's 

 scale, poured over them, leaving them to steep and 

 the water to cool for twenty-four hours." Subse- 

 quently, the practice has been adopted by other per- 

 sons with perfect success ; and, some years ago, seed- 

 lings of Acacia lophantha were exhibited before the 

 Horticultural Society by the late Mr. Thomas Cary 

 Palmer, which had sprung from seeds boiled for as 

 much as five minutes. I am also acquainted with 

 other cases, one of the more remarkable of which was 

 the germination of the seeds of the Baspberry, picked 

 from a jar of jam, and which must therefore have 

 been exposed to the temperature of 230°, the boiling 

 point of syrup. It is difficult to understand in what 

 way so violent an action can be beneficial to anj 



