GERMINATION, 317 
of the higher Colorado, deposit the seeds of maize 12 or 
14 inches below the surface. Thus sown, the plant 
thrives, while, if treated according to the plan usual in the 
United States and Europe, it might never appear above 
ground. The reasons for such a procedure are the follow- 
ing: The country is without rain and almost without dew. 
In summer the sandy soil is continuously parched by the 
sun at a temperature often exceeding 100° in the shade. 
It is only at the depth-of a foot or more that the seed finds 
the moisture needful for its growth,—moisture furnished 
by the melting of the winter snows.* 
R. Hoffmann, experimenting in a light, loamy sand, upon 
24 kinds of agricultural and market-garden seeds, found 
that all perished when buried 12 inches. When planted 
10 inches deep, peas, vetches, beans, and maize, alone came 
up; at 8 inches there appeared, besides the above, wheat, 
millet, oats, barley, and colza; at 6 inches those already 
mentioned, together with winter colza, buckwheat, and 
sugar-beets; at 4 inches of depth the above, and mustard, 
red and white clover, flax, horseradish, hemp, and turnips; 
finally, at 3 inches, lucern also appeared. Hoffmann 
states that the deep-planted seeds generally sprouted most 
quickly, and all early differences in development disap- 
peared before the plants blossomed. 
On the other hand, Grouven, in trials with sugar-beet 
seed, made, most probably, in a well-manured and rather 
heavy soil, found that sowing at a depth of $ to 14 inches, 
gave the earliest and strongest»plants; seeds deposited at 
a depth of 24 inches required 5 days longer to come up 
than those planted at $ in. It was further shown that 
seeds sown shallow in a fine wet clay required 4-5 days 
longer to come up than those placed at the same depth 
in the ordinary soil. : 
Not only the character of the soil, which influences the 
* For these interesting facts the writer is indebted to Prof. J. 8. Newberry. 
