Absorption of Water by Seeds of Hordeum vulgare. 547 



and equilibrium is established between the seed systems and the water, the 

 curves tend to run together towards the same asymptote.* 



Table I. 



Temp. 34 -6 : . 



Temp. 21 -1°. 



Temp. 3 -8°. 



Time. 



Water absorbed. 





"Water absorbed. 



Time. 



Water absorbed. 





per cent. 



llTS. 



per cent. 



hrs. 



per cent. 



5 -00 



16 -80 



5-25 



9-32 



5-58 



4-42 



24 -00 



35*64 



24-33 



24-80 



24-75 



11-82 



48-25 



43-44 



48 -50 



35 -98 



48 -83 



18 -52 



71 -50 



45-36 



72-00 



43 -42 



72-25 



23 -42 



96 -00 



45 -74 



96 -25 



46 -90 



96-50 



27 -42 











144 -25 



34 -02 



iO 20 ZO 40 SO 



Time in Hours 



Diagram I. 



In order to study more closely the effect of temperature on the velocity 

 with which water is absorbed, in the first instance it is desirable to ascertain 

 the relative rates at which water enters the seeds at the different tem- 

 peratures. As the rate at any particular temperature decreases as the 

 amount of water absorbed becomes greater, it is necessary, however, to 

 ascertain the relative rates at different temperatures under comparable 

 conditions. 



As the conditions of the seeds throughout the experiments at the different 



* The slight decrease in the weight of the seeds at the highest temperature in the 

 latter part of the experiment is due, in all probability, to secondary changes, perhaps in 

 part to actual loss of weight through dissolution of solid matter, but more particularly to 

 alterations in the attractive forces as water accumulates within the seeds. 



