8 4 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIII, No. 2 
One sample each of fresh wheat, oats, and barley was soaked in tap 
water at room temperature i hour and 5 hours in lots of 50 seeds each, 
which were then put to germinate at 16 0 and at 25 0 C. During the soak¬ 
ing the seeds were covered about 1 inch deep with water. The germina¬ 
tion time was reckoned from the time when the soaking was begun. 
Table II shows the results of the germination tests. 
One hour’s presoaking greatly increased and 5 hours’ presoaking slightly 
increased the germination within the first 31 hours, but presoaking even 
for 1 hour greatly reduced the percentage which germinated in 4 days 
in case of oats and barley but did not affect it in the case of wheat. The 
harmful effect of the presoaking was much greater when the subsequent 
germination test was made at 25 0 C. than when the germination temper¬ 
ature was 16°. 
Table II. — Effect of presoaking I and 5 hours in excess of standing water upon subset 
quent germination 
| 
! Percentage germi- 
Germina* j 
Hours 
soaked. 
l nating. 
Kind of cereal. 
tion tem- j 
perature. ! 
i 31 hours.® 
4 days. 
i 
°C. ! 
1 
0 
j. 
i 
: 100 
16 
I 
76 
! 100 
Wheat... 
j 
5 i 
12 
96 
O ; 
IO 
68 
25!' 
i ! 
l6 
70 
5 1 
l6 
62 
0 1 
O 
98 
16 j 
1 1 
46 
68 
Barley... 
i 1 
5 : 
4 
68 
0 
4 
76 
j 
25 I 
1 
34 
46 
j 
5 ; 
8 ! 
18 
0 
0 
98 
f 
16 
1 
28 
54 
Oats. !• 
j ! 
5 
0 1 
26 
26 1 
58 
96 
25 ' 
1 ' 
26 
34 
5 ; 
8 
32 
« Reckoned from the time the soaking was begun. 
In order to get an idea of the progress of imbibition as affected by pre¬ 
soaking, 50 seeds of known weight of one poorly germinating sample each 
of wheat, oats, and barley were soaked one hour in small vials after 
which the water was poured off. The grain was emptied upon a- blotting 
paper, the surface water was rapidly removed by rubbing with another 
small piece of blotting paper, and the percentage of increase in weight 
was determined in comparison with control lots on moist blotting paper 
in Petri dishes. The presoaked grain was then placed on moistened 
blotting paper in Petri dishes, from which it was removed from time to 
time and its increase in weight determined in comparison with the control 
lots. During the first eight or nine hours the grain was at room tem¬ 
perature, and thereafter in an incubator at 5 0 C. to prevent germination. 
Table III shows the percentage of increase in wieght of these lots of grain 
up to the end of the third day. 
