VITALITY AND GEKMINATION OF SEEDS. 



215 



kills all seeds though these are amongst the most resistant 

 of vital bodies. Once the penetration and actual contact 

 of the salt with the protoplasm are ensured, the death of 

 the latter immediately follows. 



The effects of prolonged immersion in water upon 

 different seeds, of which the subjoined table is illustrative, 





Water unchanged. 





Aqueous solution 





5 days. 



10 days. 



14 days. 



3 weeks. 



HgCl 2 . 1 day. 



Peas. 



60 p.c. germinated. 



8 p.c. 



None. 





None. 



Haricots. 



95 p.c. ,, 



None. 







None. 



Wheat. 



85 p.c. ,, 





5 p.c. 



None. 



None. 



Barley. 



44 p.c. ,, 





6 p.c. 



None. 



None. 



Linseed. 



60 p.c. 





36 p.c. 



None. 



None. 



Hemp. 



65 p.c. ,, 



60 p.c. 



22 p.c. 



18 p.c. 



None. 





4 weeks. 

 17 p.c. 





are also of some interest. The seeds are placed in a 

 quantity of water sufficient to cover them when soaked 

 and left undisturbed until planted. The water in a few 

 days especially with Peas and Haricots becomes highly 

 putrescent. Nevertheless providing the integuments of 

 the seed remain intact this water in spite of the Infusoria, 

 Bacteria and putrescent gases it contains does not exercise 

 so great an effect upon the seeds as might be anticipated. 

 If however germination commences and the elongating 

 radicle protrudes through the split integument the mortality 

 among the seeds is greatly increased. It might be thought 

 that if the water in which the seeds are kept instead of 

 being allowed to grow stagnant were changed daily the 

 seeds would have a greater chance of surviving its pro- 

 longed action. As a matter of fact it was found that 

 seeds (Peas and Haricots) treated in this way were killed 



