814 The American Naturalist. - [Septentoer, 
tained from the youngest seeds were slender and weak,a nd 
scarcely progressed beyond the first leaf.” Goff” who has 
made experiments with immature tomato and other seeds at 
intervals from 1884 to the present time, early noted this char- 
acteristic of the seedlings. 
The rate of germination is in general slower for immature 
than for mature seeds. This has been observed by Seyffert, 
Géppert, Cohn, Toutphéus and others, but this depends upon 
many internal and external conditions affecting the seed, and 
it is, therefore, not inconsistent with our theory of the process 
to find that some observers (Duhamel, Senebier) have noted 
an increased rate of germination for immature seeds. In an 
experiment by the writer (manuscript record No. 82) in 1890, 
tomato plants (24) from the seed of ripe fruit planted in a cold 
frame, came through the soil in an average of 12 days, plants 
(5) from seed of half-ripe fruit in 12.2 days, and plants (13) 
from seed of green fruit in 14.2 days. Other trials with tomato» 
as well as with peas, wheat, and other kinds, made in the lab- 
oratory, using folded cloth, have also given tardy germina- 
tions for unripe seeds. Nowacki” removed seeds from the heads 
of wheat when in the milk stage, when turning yellow, and 
when fully ripe, and sowed carefully selected kernels in the 
garden (see table III). The rate of germination, judging by 
the time of appearance of the plants above ground, was much 
slower for the immature seed, the number on the eleventh day 
after sowing, being respectively 12, 19, 25. 
II.. WHEAT FROM UNRIPE SEEp. 
Experiment conducted by Nowacki. 
ae or | | Germinations. | Stalks. 
gree of ripe- No. seeds. | 
ness. | “| On bak eck | Ay. No. |Ay.height Product of 
| | day * iper plant.| in cm. |No.by 
In the milk ...... | w fn 45 4.6 128 589 
pan iig 50 19 50 5.4 125 675 
Fully ripe........., 50 | 25 50 5.9 121 714 
” Lie, ili, p, 225; iv, p 182. 
ot e 
