530 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vc&. XIV, No. 12 
and seemed to show considerable reduction in germinating capacity. 
However, when the next samples were taken a month later, the dried lots 
germinated as completely as the control lots, although the moisture had 
fallen to i per cent. The unfavorable results of the previous tests must 
therefore have been due to causes other than previous desiccation. The 
wheat was not returned to the desiccators after August 8. Subsequent 
tests made on September 5 and November 25 gave as complete germi¬ 
nation for the dried lots as for the control lots. 
The degree of desiccation to which all of the seeds, even of wheat, were 
subjected without injury, is, of course, greatly in excess of any which 
occur in nature. Wheat, for instance, when stored under laboratory 
conditions, contains about 8 per cent of moisture in the winter and much 
more during humid weather in the summer. Wheat as it comes from 
the field varies widely in moisture content, but apparently is never below 
6 per cent, even in the semiarid regions; the minimum for six years 
according to figures furnished by the Office of Grain Standardization 
of the Department of Agriculture, was 6.6 per cent. 
INFLUENCE OF DRYING UPON RAPIDITY OF GERMINATION AND VIGOR 
OF SEEDLINGS 
The germination of the control lots began somewhat more promptly 
than the germination of the dried lots, but the differences were scarcely 
perceptible after the second day of the germination test and were prob¬ 
ably due in a large measure to an increase in the time required for imbi¬ 
bition before germination could begin. 
Table IV gives additional data from the tests begun on September 5 
which are typical of data taken from some of the other tests. 
Table IV .—Additional data on germination tests begun on September 5, IQ17, after 
seven months' drying 
, Item. 
White Smyrna barley. 
Svanhals barley. 
Kharkof wheat. 
Cal¬ 
cium 
oxid. 
Sul¬ 
phuric 
acid. 
Control. 
Cal¬ 
cium 
oxid. 
Sul¬ 
phuric 
acid. 
Control. 
Cal¬ 
cium 
oxid. 
Sul¬ 
phuric 
add. 
Control. 
Percentage germina¬ 
tion in 3 days. 
82 
83 
83 
97 
97 
97 
86 
88 
9 ° 
Percentage germina¬ 
tion after third day.. 
2 
5 
3 
O 
0 
I 
6 
4 
2 
Number of coleoptiles 
emerged in 3 days... 
6 
30 
27 
14 
2 5 
47 
Maximum length of 
coleoptile on third 
day.cm.. 
0. 2 
0.9 
0.8 
0. 2 
0. 8 
°. 7 
0. 4 
0. 4 
0. 6 
Average number of 
roots on third day... 
3 - 2 
3*4 
3 * 0 
2.8 
2.9 
3 * 0 
2. 1 
2 * 3 
2. 5 
Maximum length of 
roots on third day, 
cm. 
5 - 2 
4 * 5 
4. 2 
4*5 
5 *o 
4.0 
2. 6 
2. 1 
3 *i 
