Oct. 1, 1924 
Vitality of Buried Seeds 
359 
tion of the soil from the three depths at 
the expiration of the test showed 27 
per cent, 27per cent and 31 per cent 
of hard seed remaining. 
For reference a list is appended of the 
species which produced sprouts in 1923, 
.after being buried in the soil for 20 
years. Twelve of these, marked *, 
have produced sprouts from each depth 
each year tested. Tobacco is the only 
cultivated crop included in the twelve. 
^Chaetochloa verticillata (foxtail). 
Chaetochloa glauca (yellow foxtail). 
Chaetochloa viridis (green foxtail). 
Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary 
grass). 
Phleum pratense (timothy). 
Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass). 
Sporobolus airoides (hair-grass drop- 
seed). 
Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand drop- 
seed) . 
Sporobolus cryptandrus (sand drop- 
seed, hulled seed). 
Cyperus esculentus (yellow nut-grass). 
Boehmeria nivea (ramie.) 
Polygonum persicaria (smartweed). 
Polygonum scandens (false buck¬ 
wheat). 
Rumex salicifolius (willow-leaved 
dock). 
Rumex crispus (curled dock). 
*Rumex obtusifolius (broad-leaved 
dock). 
Beta vulgaris (sugar beet). 
Chenopodium album (lamb’s quarters). 
Chenopodium hybridum (maple-leaved 
goosefoot). 
Phytolacca americana (poke). 
Portulaca oleracea (purslane). 
Brassica nigra (black mustard). 
Thlaspi arvense (field penny cress). 
Potentilla monspeliensis (rough cinque- 
f oil). 
Cassia marylandica (wild senna). 
Lespedeza frutescens (bush clover). 
Robinia pseudacacia (black locust). 
Trifolium hybridum (alsike clover). 
Trifolium pratense (red clover). 
Trifolium repens (white clover). 
Abutilon abutilon (velvet leaf). 
Hibiscus militaris (rose mallow). 
Onagra biennis (evening primrose). 
Apium graveolens (celery). 
*Convolvulus sepium (hedge bindweed). 
*Ipomoea lacunosa (white morning- 
glory). 
Cuscuta polygonorum (smartweed dod¬ 
der). 
Verbena hastata (blue vervain). 
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain). 
* Datura tatula (jimson weed). 
*Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco). 
Solanum nigrum (black nightshade). 
*Verbascum thapsus (great mullen). 
*Plantago major (common plantain). 
^lantago rugelii (broad plantain). 
* Ambrosia artemisiaefolia (ragweed). 
Ambrosia trifida (great ragweed). 
Arctium lappa (burdock). 
*Carduus arvensis (Canada thistle). 
*Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (oxeye 
daisy). 
Onopordon acanthium (cotton thistle). 
*Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan). 
Typical growth of some plants from 
the buried seed is shown in Plate 2. 
A comparison of the germination of 
all samples from the different depths 
shows that the seeds deteriorate some¬ 
what more rapidly at the shallow or A 
depth. There is little difference 
between depths B and C. Taking the 
aggregate of all sprouts obtained in the 
six tests, 27 per cent came from depth 
A, 36 per cent from depth B and 37 
per cent from depth C. 
Of the total number of sprouts 
obtained in all years from all three 
depths, the proportion which grew in 
each year was: 18 per cent in 1903, 19 
per cent in 1905, 15 per cent in 1908, 
21 per cent in 1912, 12 per cent in 1918 
and 15 per cent in 1923. 
Table I shows that too much empha¬ 
sis must not be placed on the actual 
germination percentage obtained. The 
results show that under the climatic 
and field conditions prevailing at 
Arlington farm, 51 of the 107 species 
lived 20 years buried in the soil; they 
do not, however, prove that the 56 
species which failed to produce sprouts 
in 1923 were all dead. Table I shows 
several cases of growth in 1923 after 
failure in 1918; and Polygonum scandens 
grew for the first time in 1918. Later 
tests may bring out similar cases. 
The vitality tests have been made as 
uniformly as possible under conditions 
which were thought to be best adapted 
to the majority of the species. How¬ 
ever, we know little about the require¬ 
ments for germination of many species. 
The variations in the results obtained 
from the same species in the different 
years and at different depths for the 
same year indicate that because of 
physiological changes in the seeds these 
requirements will vary with the seasonal 
and weather conditions prevailing pre¬ 
vious to the viability test. 
The following 15 species buried in 
Michigan by Doctor Beal were in¬ 
cluded by Doctor Duvel in this experi¬ 
ment: Amaranthus retroflexuSj Am¬ 
brosia artemisiaefolia, Brassica nigra , 
Bromus secalinus, Bursa bursa-pastor is, 
Agrostema githago, Onagra biennis . 
Plantago major , Portulaca oleracea, 
Rumex crispus, Chaetochloa glauca , 
Alsine media, Trifolium repens, Ver- 
bascum thapsus and Chenopodium al _ 
