Oct. 1,1924 
Vitality of Buried Seeds 
361 
bum. With the exception of Trifolium 
repens (white clover), which failed to 
produce any sprouts in Doctor Beal’s 
experiment and which grew very spar¬ 
ingly every year but one in this experi¬ 
ment, the results check very closely. 
It might be expected that variations in 
soil and climate would influence the 
preservation of vitality of seeds buried 
in the soil; but too little information is 
available for comparison and definite 
conclusions. 
Plowing under to exterminate weeds 
which have gone to seed does not ac¬ 
complish its purpose. Each plowing 
of a field infested with weed seeds 
brings some of these seeds near enough 
to the surface to germinate, and at the 
same time buries others deeply enough 
to preserve their vitality. No normal 
crop rotation is long enough to effect 
eradication of persistent weeds. 
When the experiment was started, 
seeds of 35 species were put in paper 
packages and the packages sealed in 
glass tubes. These tubes were buried 
at the deep depth. The seeds in one 
of these tubes, taken up in 1908, after 
being buried six years, were tested for 
germination both in the germinating 
chamber and in the greenhouse. The 
results obtained are given in Table II, 
together with the results obtained the 
same year from the same species taken 
from the soil in pots. In most cases 
the seeds from the tube gave a higher 
germination than those from the pots. 
The seeds of the cultivated plants gave 
distinctly better results from the 
sealed tubes than from the buried pots. 
Table II.— Germination obtained in 1908 in both laboratory and greenhouse from the 
samples of seeds in the sealed tube buried at depth “C” for six years, together with 
the percentage of sprouts obtained the same year from the same varieties of seed 
taken from the soil in pots 
1908 percentage of germination of 
seeds from— 
Lab¬ 
ora¬ 
tory 
Burial 
No. 
Name of plant 
Num¬ 
ber 
of 
Soil in pots in green¬ 
house 
Sealed tube 
No. 
seeds 
Depth 
A 
Depth 
B 
Depth 
C 
In 
labora¬ 
tory 
In 
green¬ 
house 
16179 
33 
Chaetochloa glauca (L.) Scribn. (yellow foxtail). 
100 
5.5 
1.5 
1.5 
25 
22 
16180 
67 
Chaetochloa virdis (L.) Scribn. (green foxtail). 
200 
16 
13 
26.5 
32 
24 
16187 
32 
Panicum virgatum L. (tall smooth panicum)... 
100 
0 
0 
0 
35 
3 
16188 
34 
Phalaris arundinacea L. (reed canary grass)_ 
200 
29.5 
52. 5 
38 
12.5 
0 
16192 
69 
Sporobolus airoides Torr. (hair-grass drop-seed) _ 
200 
0 
6.5 
0 
69. 75 
7 
16193 
71 
Sporobolus cryptandrus (Torr.) A. Gray (sand 
drop-seed). 
200 
0.5 
6. 5 
0 
o 
5 
16204 
40 
Polygonum pennsylvanicum L. (Pennsylvania 
persicaria). 
200 
0 
0 
1 
2 
0 
16207 
76 
Rumex salicifolius Weinm. (willow-leaved 
dock). 
200 
33 
19 
23 
46 
16210 
81 
Axyris amaranthoides L. (Russian pigweed)... 
200 
0 
0 
0 
0. 5 
0 
16212 
79 
Chenopodium album L. (lamb’s quarters, white 
goosefoot). 
200 
0. 5 
50.5 
0.5 
55.5 
30 
16213 
80 
Chenopodium hybridum L. (maple-leaved 
goosefoot). 
200 
1 
9 
41.5 
67 
28 
16214 
82 
Amaranthus rctroflexus L. (rough pigweed)_ 
200 
1 
67.5 
10 
94. 25 
19 
16215 
42 
Phytolacca americana L. (poke, pigeon berry).. 
200 
29 
68.5 
77 
86 
38 
16216 
83 
Portulaca oleracea L. (purslane, pussley). 
200 
36.5 
33.5 
11 
89.5 
9.5 
16219 
44 
Vaccaria vaccaria (L.) Britton (cowherb).. 
209 
0 
1 
1 
84 
12 
16220 
87 
Brassica nigra (L.) Koch (black mustard)_ 
200 
0 
1 
0 
0 
12.5 
16223 
89 
Bursa bursa-pastoris (L.) Britton (shepherd’s 
purse). 
Thlaspi arvense L. (field pennycress)... 
200 
0 
4.5 
20 
49. 25 
19 
16227 
85 
200 
34 
52 
7.5 
25.5 
53 
16228 
90 
Potentilla monspeliensis L. (rough cinquefoil).. 
200 
64 
63 
54. 5 
52 
15 
16231 
49 
Medicago sativa L. (alfalfa, lucern)..... 
200 
0.5 
0. 5] 
0 
89.5 
73 
16235 
93 
Trifolium hybridum L. (alsike clover)... 
200 
0 
1 
1.5 
76.5 
55 
16236 
50 
Trifolium pratense L. (red clover).. 
200 
0 
0 
0 
85 
67 
16239 
94 
Trifolium repens L. (white clover)... 
200 
0 
0 
0.5 
84 
66 
16241 
53 
Linum usitatissimum L. (flax, linseed).. 
200 
0 
0 
0 
90.5 
83 
16247 
96 
Onagra biennis (L.) Scop, (common evening 
primrose). 
200 
0 
0 
0 
22 
0.5 
16248 
57 
Amum grareolens L. (celery)_ 
200 
0.5 
3. 5 
21 
72.25 
58 
16253 
98 
Cuscuta polygoriorum Englem. (smartweed 
dodder). 
200 
1.5 
4 
3 
15.25 
13 
16255 
100 
Verbena hastata L. (blue vervain)__ 
200 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
16260 
101 
Nicotiana tabacum L. (tobacco)... 
200 
28 , 
45 
44 
89.5 
43 
16264 
103 
Plantago major L. (common plantain)_ 
200 
10.5 
10 
14. 5 
99 
20.5 
16265 
104 
Plantago rugelii D c. (Rugel’s plantain, broad 
plantain). 
200 
3.5 : 
0 . 0 
6 
69.5 
0.5 
16270 
62 
Lactuca sativa L. (lettuce).. 
200 
0 
0 
0.5 
98 
76 
16279 
108 
Grindelia squarrosa (Pursh) Dunal., (broad¬ 
leaved gum plant). 
200 
6.5 
1. 5 
5 
85.5 
36.5 
16283 
109 
Rudbeckia hirta L. (black-eyed Susan).. 
200 
1.5 
2 
2.5 
59.25 
13.5 
16254 
97 
Cuscuta epilinum Weihe. (flax dodder). 
200 
0 , 
0 
0 
o 
0 
99184—25f-4 
