April IS, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
525 
SEEDS: THEIR GERMINATION, 
VITALITY, AND DISTRIBUTION. * 
From the child, who in the budding spring sows his 
Mustard and Cress, to the gardener and amateur 
botanist, the growth and progress of seeds is most 
interesting, and the more one has to do with them 
the greater the difference appears in their aspect, size, 
and form. I propose first to give a few particulars on 
their germination. 
It is well-known how the larger forms start into 
growth. In Beans and Lupins they first swell out, 
seeds, such as Lettuce, the root strikes down, and the 
cotyledons carry up the outside skin as a covering ; 
and in Onions it is curious to observe that the thin 
rush-like growth carries up the black angular husk 
in a twisted form, and retains it for some time. In 
Turnips, Cabbages and other Brassicas the coty¬ 
ledons rise in a few days, and at once spread them¬ 
selves open on the surface. In some tropical plants 
most curious arrangements are observed ; for example, 
in the double Cocoa-nut of the Seychelles, which has 
been slowly germinating at Kew for two years, progress 
L^ELIA DlGBYANA-MoSSIiE. 
then the outer skin bursts, and from the germ a root 
emerges and takes a downward course, while the 
fleshy part of the seed is lifted to the surface of the 
ground by a stout stem connected to the root, when 
the two halves separate and form what botanists call 
cotyledons, from which the first leaves arise (fed by 
the fleshy cotyledons). In Peas the seed remains in 
the ground, and a stem rises and unfolds its green 
leaves very quickly. In both cases the cotyledons 
wither after they have performed their office of nourish¬ 
ing the first leaves. "Wheat and other grain also remain 
in the soil. In the case of Palms, such as the Phcenix 
(or Dates), the seeds often remain upon the surface 
attached to the plant a year or more ; and in Walnuts 
and Nuts, they remain below the surface. In smaller 
* Read at the Horticultural Club by Mr. George Bunyard. 
so far consisting of seed leaves, each 2J ft. long by 
2 ft. broad—a noble start for a tree which grows 100 ft. 
high, and does not produce flowers till it is thirty years 
old. The fruits are ten years ripening. It is to be 
regretted that the natives have so recklessly cut down 
the trees that, unless means be taken to prevent it, 
they may become extinct. I hear that this has been 
done. 
In the Brazil Nut, which has a very hard outside shell, 
the triangular nuts are arranged round a central column, 
with a small hole at the stalk end. It is literally the 
survival of the fittest, for although all may start to 
grow only one can exist. The lucky one fills the space 
and kills the others, and feeds upon them until it can 
form a root for itself outside the shell, which operation 
possibly the restriction of the hole expedites by forming 
a barrier to the growth and thickening of the stem. 
There are many other curious forms of germination, 
and pretty experiments are made of growing Chestnuts 
and acorns in clear bottles of water, where the whole 
process can be watched. If you have ever placed Cress 
seed in your mouth you will find a gelatinous coating 
soon forms over its surface, which I take to be the 
first symptoms of growth. This is well illustrated by 
taking seeds of Collomia coccinea and placing them in 
water under the microscope, when small spiral threads 
freely rise from its surface, which unfold in the water. 
Sometimes Melon seeds will grow in the fruit, and peas 
in the pods in wet weather. Mezereum berries will 
also germinate on the tree in damp spots. 
The period of germination is various. A few days 
will start some kinds, while others take a year or more. 
When Primula japonica was first introduced from Japan 
the seeds were a puzzle. In some cases a crop was 
obtained at once, in others a few came up and the rest 
twelve months after, and this is very common among 
many Alpine plants, being apparently a provision of 
Nature to protect the species from extinction. Hollies, 
Cherries, Roses, Plums, Thorns, &c., do not germinate 
the first year, but require to be bedded in the soil a 
year, and they appear the second and even the third 
and fourth year according to the depth of sowing. 
Seeds of weeds lie dormant in a remarkable manner. 
For example, a wood may be grubbed up, and the year 
after will be covered with plants, some of which have 
possibly not been observed in that spot for years. An 
old man once told me that he grew some Turnips, let 
them seed, and then trenched the ground. Twenty 
years after he trenched the ground again, and the 
Turnips came up thickly. I have read that St. George’s 
Hill, Byfleet, was covered with Scotch Firs, which in 
places were removed in order to plant shrubs, and in 
every such case the ground came full of Birch seedlings, 
whereas no one had ever seen Birch there previously. 
Evidently the remains of a former forest was disturbed. 
The cuttings of railways often reveal old beds of seeds, 
and vegetation appears new to the locality. The 
dredgings of wells also will produce plants which are 
strangers. 
Various are the times at which Melons and Cucum¬ 
bers cease to grow. I have known some ten years old 
grow better than seed of the previous summer. 
Eccremocarpus will often take a year to start. Perilla 
sown in February may not grow, but the same seed in 
April will germinate freely, as if certain sun power was 
required to promote vitality. Seeds which are oily 
keep their vitality best ; and, in fact, if it were not 
for this fact many choice strains of vegetables would be 
lost to commerce after two or three consecutive bad 
frosts and harvests. The case of Egyptian corn is to 
the point. It is stated in the “ Histoire des Plantes ” 
that Wheat from an Egyptian sarcophagus started 
freely, but these cases are dubious. 
Webber’s experiments demonstrate that germination 
is quickest under dark-coloured glass, and Planchon 
found that black Beans germinate more quickly than 
white. Plants under the electric light at night grow 
much faster than without it, but electric force retards 
growth and germination in seeds. Trials at Baden- 
Baden show that when seeds are thoroughly ripened 
and dried they can endure 248° of heat without injury, 
but that after this desiccation they lose vitality when 
moisture is added in excess, and this is traceable to the 
same cause (rupture of cells) which kills plants in a 
severe frost. In the tropics the native seeds keep for a 
long time because they are thoroughly ripened and their 
tissues "firmly set by the solar heat. European seeds 
soon lose vitality there ; in fact tropical seeds keep as 
many years in Europe as European ones do months in 
the tropics. Ripeness is essential to vitality, as in a 
bad harvest year Peas, Beans, &c., often fail to grow— 
and one year, a very hot one, we grew a great crop of 
Kidney Beans, which from some cause only grew about 
50 per cent. Poinciana regia seeds sown from the 
same pod have germinated at once, and others took a 
year. Oranges, Lemons, &c., are said to germinate 
best in their pulp. 
Haricot Beans from Tournefort’s herbarium ger¬ 
minated after the lapse of 100 years. Pouchet states 
that Heliotrope, Lucerne, and Clover seeds taken from 
a Gallo-Roman tomb germinated after the lapse of 1,500 
years (?). Lindley is stated to have raised the Rasp¬ 
berry from seeds taken from a Celtic burial ground 
1,700 years old. On the other hand, many seeds lose 
vitality quickly, such as Hollyhock, Polyanthus, 
Marigolds, Myosotis, Digitalis, &c. The Coffee berry 
is said to lose its germinating power in a few days in 
its native land. When Linum grandiflorum was new 
it was found slow to germinate, and experts recom¬ 
mended soaking it in milk or warm water. In like 
