THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 18, 1859. 
248 
A certain degree of warmth is essential, for no cultivated plant 
lias seeds that will germinate below or at the freezing point of 
Water. A temperature above 32° of Fahrenheit’s thermometer, 
therefore, is requisite; and the plants of which the seeds will 
germinate nearest to that low degree of temperature, in this 
fctttmtry, are the winter weeds. For example, we have found the 
seeds of the Poa annua, the commonest Grass of our gravel walks, 
germinate at 35°, and the seeds of Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) 
would probably require no higher temperature. But, on the 
other hand, the temperature must not be excessively high. Even 
no tropical seed, probably, will germinate at a temperature much 
above 120° F .—{Journal de Pharmacie, xxii. 210.) 
Other experiments, to ascertain the degree of cold which 
would destroy the germinating power of seeds, have given as a 
result, that even the extreme cold at which quicksilver freezes 
does not destroy the vitality of seeds. It is, indeed, probable 
that a continuance of such a degree of cold would kill the seeds ; 
hut it is not easy to determine this by experiment, as so low a 
degree of cold cannot be maintained very long. It is otherwise 
with the influence of heat, for seeds no longer germinate in water 
at the heat of 122° F. In vapour, it requires a heat of 143j Q F. to 
destroy speedily the vitality of seeds of corn ; and in dry air, 
167° F. are necessary to prevent these seeds germinating. How¬ 
ever, the influence of a high temperature is strikingly different 
according to its longer or shorter continuance; for a temperature 
of 95° F., for throe days, destroys the germinating power of 
grain.—(See Ann. des Sci. Nat., 1834, p. 257—279.) 
Although seeds unsprouted will bear, uninjured, intense degrees 
of cold, it is far otherwise when once germination has commenced. 
A temperature of 32° will then usually kill them. 
Every seed, differing in its degree of excitability, consequently 
has a temperature without which it will not vegetate, and from 
which cause arise the consequences that different plants require 
to be sown at different seasons, and that they germinate with 
various degrees of rapidity. 
For example, two varieties of early Pea, sown on a south border 
on the same day, and treated strictly alike throughout their 
growth, were about a fortnight differing in all their stages of 
vegetation. 
Sown. In bloom. Gathered from. 
Cormack’s Prince Albert Jan. 4. April 1. May 14. 
Warwick . . . Jan. 4. April 13. May 28. 
Adanson found that, under the most favourable circumstances, 
various garden seeds might be made to germinate in the following 
very different spaces of time :— 
Spinach, Beans, Mustard 
: 3 days. 
Lettuce, Aniseed 
. . 4 „ 
Melon, Cucumber, Cress 
. 5 „ 
Radish, Beet . . . 
. . 6 „ 
Orache .... 
. 8 „ 
Purslane .... 
- . 9 „ 
Cabbage .... 
. 10 „ 
Hyssop .... 
. .30 „ 
Parsley .... 
. 40 or 50 do. 
Almond, Chestnut, Peach . 
. . 1 year. 
Rose, Hawthorn, Filbert 
-2 
— (Families des Plantes, i. 85.) 
In one instance, M. Adanson certainly must have experimented 
with old seed, for wo have found good new Parsley seed, sown on 
fresh fertile soil in May, had germinated in two days, and its 
leaves were above the surface within a week from the day of 
sowing. Then, again, in the case of Rose seed,—at all events, in 
the case of that of the Dog Rose ,—if the hips be allowed to endure 
the frosts of winter before they are gathered, the seed will ger¬ 
minate in much less time than is named by M. Adanson. This 
lesson was probably taught the gardener by nature, for the hips 
of Roses never shed their seed in this country until they have 
been frosted. 
The gardener should always bear in mind, that it would be a 
very erroneous conclusion, because a seed does not germinate at 
the accustomed time, that, therefore, its vegetating powers are 
departed. No two seeds taken from the same seed-vessel ger¬ 
minate precisely at the same time ; but, on the contrary, one will 
often do so promptly, while its companion seed will remain dor¬ 
mant until another year. M. De Candolle relates an instance 
where fresh Tobacco seedlings continued to appear annually for 
ten years on the same plot, though no seed was sown after the 
first sowing ; and the same phenomenon usually occurs for two 
or three years, when the seeds of either the Iheony or Hawthorn 
are sown. Why one seed is more easily excited than another is us 
yet unexplained, but the wisdom of this one of many provisions 
for avoiding the accidental extinction of a species in any given 
locality is readily discerned. An ungenial spring may destroy 
the plants arising from those seeds which first germinated, but 
this could scarcely occur also to those of the second and third 
year, or even to those wliich were only a few weeks later in their 
vegetation. 
It is not possible to declare a general rule, relative to germinat¬ 
ing temperatures, requiring no exceptions, but, in general, for the 
seeds of plants, natives of temperate latitudes, the best germinat¬ 
ing temperature is about 60°F. ; for those of half-hardy plants, 
70° F.; and for those of tropical plants, about 80° F.; and the 
necessity for such temperatures depends upon the same causes that 
prevent the hatching of eggs, unless they be kept for a certain 
period at a temperature of about 100°. The requisite changes are 
not produced either in the seed or in the egg, unless it be sub¬ 
mitted to the propitious temperature ; but why this is requisite 
to develop the forms, and effect the changes, without which there 
is no vitality, i3 a secret at present withheld from man’s under¬ 
standing by their Creator, and we must rest satisfied with the 
approximate knowledge that caloric is the vast and all-pervading 
agent he employs to call life into existence.—J. 
(To be continued.) 
TOADS AND ANTS. 
In additional reply to “ Bttfo,” I beg to say, that toads are 
harmless creatures, and render gardeners much service, by eating 
or destroying woodliee, beetles, and ants. But, as regards ants, 
when kept in bounds, they are also useful, for they eagerly hunt 
after insects injurious to vegetation. I air,'ays encourage toads in 
hothouses, especially among Mushroom-beds, which are subject 
to woodliee. Unlike frogs, toads prefer dry places to hide in 
during the day ; and, perhaps, the best way to prevent their 
straying away, is, to treat them kindly, and impress the same on 
others who wantonly injure them.— J. Wighton. 
A NEW ARRANGEMENT OF HARDY SHRUBS. 
In general, shrubs are planted in the mingled manner, some 
regard only being given to the height they are anticipated to 
grow. The tallest—such as the various kinds of Thorns, La¬ 
burnums, and others—are planted at the back ; the Laurel, 
Syringa, and Lilac next; followed by the Box, Rhododendron, 
and Spireas; with dwarf kinds in front. If the shrubbery ex¬ 
tends for hundreds of yards, this unmeaning mixture has no 
variation, but is continued throughout. A certain number of 
each kind of shrub are ordered, and they are regularly distributed 
over the whole space, so that the spectator, after examining a 
few yards in succession, finds the rest are exactly the same. This 
I call a mixture without variety. In large places, it is true, 
there is some variety ; for there wo generally find an American 
ground, or garden, also a Rose garden, and in many places a 
Pinetum ; but still the common shrubbery is planted in the old 
mingled fashion. 
Loudon lifted up his mighty voice against this absurdity, and 
recommended a more scientific mode—that of grouping shrubs. 
He says—“Here one genus, species, or even variety, is planted 
by itself in considerable numbers, so as to produce a powerful 
effect. Thus, the Pine tribe, as trees, may be alone planted in 
one part of the shrubbery ; and the Holly, in its numerous 
varieties, as shrubs. After an extent of several yards, or hundreds 
of yards, have been occupied with these two genera, a third and 
fourth—say, the evergreen Fir tribe and the Yew—may succeed, 
being gradually blended with them, and so on.” 
No doubt, a grouping system like the above would be far more 
interesting than the mingling style, if judiciously carried out. 
Thirty years ago, I was foreman to J. Major, Esq., the Yorkshire 
landscape gardener. He was engaged to lay out an estate for 
W. Leatham, Esq., near Pontefract; and there, having free scope, 
this grouping system was carried out to a great extent. I have 
not seen the place since, but I have been informed that it did not 
please the gardener, and that the old mingling system, as far 
as possible, was resorted to, thus destroying what would other¬ 
wise have had a good effect. 
I have thus far described, in a brief way, two modes of plant¬ 
ing the shrubbery. The first, every thinking man, who has any 
