1885.] 
Powers of Mummy Wheat. 
609 
several 1 ' Suable S s ^ c fl n ^ d unU Societ y °f England, 
wheat, includin' 'n,‘ l held ex P er ‘ments, &c., upon 
}Yp ea ProdudtsTn the'M^Vrnd^rea^^’ 0 ' Reno°t 
of Experiments on the Growth of Wheat fn, T,’ . \ P °“ 
Im ports 'rind °C Same ,a " d ; ” “ 0n the HlmeProdu« S 
impoits, and Consumption of Wheat n.,,- rr , , 
Imports' Cl Cr ° PS ; • “ Another^™ the^om P? du^ 
foTlSws i- "l7 P ve°not a ;h d ^ « 
wheat which was brough to this'countrv'afe ‘ h ' mUmm >' 
cas sswsfarSS 
upon the germination of seeds^ends to prave^tLT S 
a jr«x 
rn nated after the lapse of so many yea?s, and he regards 
having taken p' poss, , bilit y of such germination ever 
the viMi i r P 1 Even under most favourable conditions 
grearnumUr ^ ™ U n0t be P “ d for a 
« * n E ? n ^ sh newspaper I extract the following :t_ 
Most people have heard the story of the astonish;™ 
vitality of wheat which had been wrapped up wilh an 
to yp ian mummy for ever so many thousand years and a 
few person 8 may, perhaps, have been foo]ish enough to part 
with heir money in the purchase of some grains that were 
advertised some time ago as ‘ Mummy Wheat.’ The 
owing leply to a question that was put to Sir T D 
Hooker a few days ago may interest them. He writes •— 
I he stoiy of Egyptian mummy wheat having germinated 
has never been confirmed, and is not credited b? anyone who 
is wan anted by knowledge and experience in such matters 
to give an opinion. _ Innumerable attempts to stimulate 
mummy wheat into vitality have each and all failed.— Your 
obedient servant, J. D. Hooker. Royal Gardens, Ivew.’ ” 
hurther evidence of the same nature is forthcoming, but I 
con si dei that I have given sufficient to disprove the state- 
ment that the seeas of wheat can retain their vitality for the 
* Letter to the writer, January 8, 1884. 
V ^ tte " t0 the , writer, from Mr. E. W. Voelcker, January ro 188a 
+ Marlborough Times, July ij, 1885, - * I0 ’ lB ° 4 ’ 
