12 



VITALITY OF BURIED SEEDS. 



seeds, but that the conditions in the greenhouse were at fault, and 

 until other tests are made these results can not be discussed with any 

 degree of satisfaction. On the other hand, it is certain that some of 

 the smaller seeds failed to germinate because the} T were covered too 

 deeply when sown in the flats in the greenhouse. 



Polygonum scandens possibly should be classified in Table III, inas- 

 much as some of the seeds which were buried at depths of from 18 to 

 22 inches and from 36 to 42 inches showed a few sprouts at the time 

 the seeds were taken up, but after being transferred to the greenhouse 

 no seedlings were developed. However, the failure in the germina- 

 tion of the control sample of Polygonum scandens throws it into the 

 first group (A) with the other two species of the same genus, i. e., 

 Polygonum pennsylvanicwn and P. persicaria. 



The result of the tests of the buried seed of Sporooolus cryptandrus, 

 as given in this group, should be compared with the germination of 

 the unhulled seed as given in Table HI, No. 64. The control sam- 

 ples of both the hulled and the unhulled seed which were sown in the 

 greenhouse failed to germinate, but all three samples of the unhulled 

 seed that had been buried gave some germination when tested in the 

 greenhouse. 



Table II. — Results of tests of seeds winch hod either decayed or gerfninated and afterwards 



decayed while buried. 



a 



Labora- 



c . 



tory 



1> oj 



test 



P..O 



num- 





ber. 



02 





14 



16196 



15 



16197 



16 



16217 



17 



16221 



18 



16244 



19 



16233 



20 



16232 



21 



16203 



22 



16195 



23 



16186 



24 



16175 



25 



16191 



26 



16267 



27 



16199 



28 



16270 



29 



16281 



30 



16241 



31 



16245 



32 



16200 



33 



16177 



34 



16176 



35 



16181 



36 



16284 



37 



16234 



Chamber tests 



Kind of seed. 



Zea mays (BooneCounty white 



corn )' * 



Zea mays (sweet corn) 



Agrostemma githago 



Brassica oferacea 



Gossypium hirsutum 



Pisum sativum 



Phaseolus vulgaris 



Fag< i|>\ rum fagopyrum 



Triticum aestivum 



Hordeum sativum 



A vena sativa 



Secale cereale 



Cucumis melo 



Allium cepa 



Lactuea sativa 



Helianthus annuus (cult.) 



Linum usitatissimum 



Hibiscus militaris 



Asparagus officinalis 



Bromus racemosus 



Bromus secalinus 



Eleusine indica 



Pinus virginiana 



Robinia pseudacacia 



Tem- 

 pera- 

 ture. 



20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 



20 

 20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 



20 



20 

 20-30 



20 

 20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 

 20-30 



35 

 20-30 

 20-30 



Origi- 

 nal 

 sample 



Per ct. 



99. 5 

 98.5 



99 

 85.5 



99 



97. 



too 



99 



KM) 



70. 



UK) 



96. 



94. 

 100 



97 



93. 



98. 



80 

 ion 



88. 



78. 



18 



14 



Con- 

 trol. 



Per et. 



99 



98.5 



98.5 



82 



72 



98 



98.5 



98.5 



96.5 



98 



91.5 



95 



92 

 e69 



98.5 



77 



91.5 



6.5 



011.5 



Greenhouse tests in sand. 



Con- 

 trol. 



Per ct. 



Depth of burial. 



6-8 18-22 j 36-42 

 inches, inches, inches. 



Per ct. 



95. 5 



70.5 

 91 

 43 



83.5 

 94 

 74 



92. 5 

 95.5 

 75 

 43.5 

 3.5 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 



/o 



«0 

 

 

 

 



Per ct. 



( c ) 



Per ct. 



(a) 



(«) 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 



/o 



c'O 

 

 

 







a Many had germinated and afterwards decayed. 



t> Approximately 10 per cent had germinated; the remainder had decayed. 

 c An occasional old sprout was found. 



d Approximately all had germinated and afterwards decayed. 

 e Clipped, 87 per cent; not clipped, 51 per cent. 



/Practically all had sprouted; the sprouts from seeds buried at the 36-42-inch depth were found 

 matted in the bottom of the pot. 

 9 Clipped. 



