218 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



1st soaking 2nd; Integuments 2nd; Radicles 



3rd; Integu. 



3rd; Radicles 



4th; Integu, 



and drying. 



entire. 



exposed. 



unbroken. 



protruding. 



entire. 



100 p.c. ger- 



40 p.c. germin- 



100 p.c. ger- 



None. 



12 p.c. ger- 



None. 



minated but 



ated ; in 26 p.c. 



minated ; in 





minated in 





in 29 p.c. 



radicles aborted 



80 p.c. tap 





all plumules 





ra die 1 e s 



and replaced by 



root aborted 





only de- 





aborted and 



secondary roots ; 



and replaced 





veloped. 





replaced by 



in 6 p.c. no roots 



by second- 









secondary 



at all formed, plu- 



ary roots ; in 









roots. 



mule only de- 

 veloped ; 8 p.c. 

 normal seedlings. 



10 p.c. plu- 

 mule only 

 developed ; 

 10 p.c. nor- 

 mal seed- 

 lings. 









On drying the Peas for the second time the radicles of 

 a certain number of the Peas are found to have elongated 

 and burst open the integument. On planting these after 

 drying it is found that all of them germinate, but that in 

 the majority the radicles thicken without elongating 

 whilst from the thickened bases of the latter numerous 

 secondary roots arise. The drying has destroyed the 

 vitality of the exposed and extremely meristematic apex 

 but not that of the base of the radicle. In a few cases 

 the entire radicle is killed and the plumule only develops. 



On the third soaking the radicles of all the seeds still 

 capable of germination protruded through the burst 

 integument, but the vitality of the seeds was now so much 

 diminished that only 12 p. cent, germinated and in all of 

 these the radicles had been totally destroyed. The seeds 

 with unbroken integuments were found after the 3rd or 

 4th soaking and drying to be without exception incapable 

 of germination. These experiments show that the seed 

 may, even after germination has gone so far as the pro- 

 trusion of the radicle, when slowly air dried, return to its 

 previous dormant condition without its vitality being 

 entirely destroyed. A second soaking and drying are, 

 however, always sufficient to kill all such partially ger- 



