16 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Marcu 2, 1903. 
On the Fertility of Seeds. 
eS sSseee + 
(From “Die Gartenwelt,’ December 27, 
1902.) 
The “Cologne Gazette,’ No. 790, con- 
tains a statement that wheat has been suc- 
cessfully grown from seed 200 years old. 
Ch. des Mulins reports a similar occur- 
rence. 
According to a report from Jouannet, 
there are old brick graves in the parish of 
La Monjie St. Martin, in the Department 
of Dordogne. Under the stone on which 
the head of the corpse rested was found a 
hollow containing grains of seed, from 
which blossoms of cornflower, heliotrope, 
and clover were obtained. _ ' 
In England, too, similar‘ discoveries were 
made. A. small, hermetically sealed 
earthenware coffin, found in a tomb (appa- 
rently of the middle of the twelfth cen- 
tury), at Wymondham Abbey, contained 
seeds of Columbine (Spornblume), together 
with common salt and sweet-smelling wood 
shavings. The seed produced blossoming 
plants. 
In the year 1834 raspberry seeds were 
obtained from another English’ tomb. about 
2,000 years old. Two years later these 
seeds produced fruit-bearing plants. 
For some time past we have heard of the 
discovery of wheat in the Egyptian mummy 
graves, which is sold by the finders— 
usually’ Englishmen—at a high price. 
From this the so-called “Mummy wheat” 1s 
grown. : : 
All these alleged discoveries may be 
founded on fact, but they must be dis 
uted. : 
E Nobbe-Tharant investigated seeds of dif- 
ferent species taken from a Herbarium 
made during the years 1574-1576. These 
still retained some of their natural color. 
There was not one fertile seed. 
Experiments made with a great variety 
of seeds taken from a large educational col- 
lection, which had been shown at the Lon- 
don Exhibition of 1851, gave the same re- 
sult. ; 
A collection of seeds kept in hermetically 
sealed glass bottles remained fertile after 
seventeen years. ; 
Nobbe further investigated experimen- 
tal seeds which had been sent to his “So 
ciety for Experimental Cultivation” by 
the Berlin Acclimatization Society in 
1862. 
In 1873 experiments on these seeds, both 
in a germinating apparatus and - in the 
ground, showed that of 72 species 50 were 
quite dead; of ten kinds of wheat only 
one remained fertile, and that only to a 
slight extent. 
Of the-rest 50 rer cent. (chicory, spurge. 
tomato, rane. a few kinds of peas and one 
kind of bean) had retained their germinat- 
ing power. 
Tt would take too long to describe all 
the experiments made with collections of 
seeds taken from old harvest wreaths, &c. 
All had a negative result. 
The greatest interest is excited just now 
by the careful researches of F. Haberland, 
which will soon be made public. This re- 
liable experimenter has for many years 
been collecting seeds of wheat. Some seed 
he keeps in air-dried places, some artifi- 
cially dried at a temperature of 120 to 
140 deg. Fahr. he keeps in well-corked and 
sealed flasks in a dry place. 
It has been clearly shown that the seeds 
of wheat, rye, barley, oats, and maize lose 
a considerable amount of their germinating 
power even in a few years. Seeds kept in 
the ordinary way have completely lost their 
germinating power at the end of five years, 
while seeds kept in air-dried places lose it 
after about ten years. Artificially dried 
seeds can still send up shoots a few years 
later. These experiments corroborate the 
conclusions of experience, firstly, that the 
fertility of seeds diminishes with increased 
age; and, secondly, that fertility Tasts lon- 
ger the drier the seeds are kept. 
The researches of Londet have further 
shown that the evolution of the germ ig 
slower the older the seed ; also that the fur- 
ther development of root, blade, and ear 
follows the same rule. Whata light is now 
thrown on the short-lived activity of the 
germ! In the seed is a life essence which 
must breathe in order to live. It is because 
of this that the germ is supplied with heat, 
stuff, force, sugar, &c., by which it is en- 
abled to build itself up and assimilate oxy- 
gen, carbon, and water. The germ is able 
to breathe so long as heat stuff exists in it. 
When that is exhausted the germ dies. 
The substance which is found next the 
germ is the so-called “meal body” (mehl- 
korper) of cereals. It will, of course, last 
hundreds of years in a really dry place. 
In a damp place, on tihe contrary, the 
“meal body” swells, and the reserve nour- 
ishment moves towards the germ, so that, 
later on, when there is no more food for 
the latter, both the meal body and the 
germ (which together make up the whole 
seed) come to grief. If the seed is not 
exposed to damp, experience shows that 
the life of the germ ceases after ten to. 
twenty years. There are certain weeds 
excepted, namely, the oil-bearing Senecio 
and field and hedge mustard. 
R. 
POSSOSE SECO er 
CULTIVATION OF JHE 
GCINERARYA. 
<> SeSo > 
[A paper read at the SA. Gardeners? 
Society by Mr. M. CuLten.] 
The immense varieties of this flower 
seem to be the offspring, by various crosses, 
of Cineraria malveefolia, acanthifolia, and 
probably some others. 
The comparative ease with which the 
Cineraria can be well grown, together 
with the exceeding beauty and variety cf 
its flowers, embracing as is does nearly 
every conceivable color, with the excep- 
tion of yellow, will always ensure for it a 
high position in public favor. 
A. marked change has been made in the 
value of this flower since the introduction 
of the double varieties. 
These are so varied in color and beau- 
tifulin form that they deserve to take high 
rank as florist flowers. They are so en- 
tirely distinct from the single sorts that 
even the most enthusiastic lover of single 
flowers would scarcely venture to institute 
a comparison between, the two as to their 
value for cut purposes. Z 
Cinerarias are now so generally raised 
from seed that no other mode of culture 
need be alluded to. The plant is rapid in 
growth, very succulent, requires generous 
feeding, and will not endure extreme heat 
without suffering. 
SOWING THE SEED. 
The usual time for sowing is the first 
week in December. A second sowing may 
be made the first week in January to en- 
sure a succession of plants. 
[Seeds may be sown up to the middle of 
March.—Ep. | 
A. compost of equal parts loam and leaf- 
mould and half part sharp sand will suit 
it in its early stage of growth. Sow 
thinly in shallow wide pots known as seed- 
pans, and slightly cover with fine goil. 
Water by soaking. Place the pans three- 
parts of their depth in water until the 
whole of the soil is soaked. No more water 
will be required until the seed has germin- 
ated. Place the pans in the shady end of 
a greenhouse or shadehouse, with a pane 
of glass covering each pan to prevent rapid 
evaporation. Immediately the seed ger- 
minates remove the glass. The result of 
leaving the glass on, even for a short time 
after the seed has germinated, is weak 
spindly plants. Fresh seed will germinate 
in from four to six days. If the plants 
have been raised under glass, as soon as 
well up transfer them to the coolest and 
shadiest part of the shadehouse. As soon 
as the seedlings have formed two or three 
leaves prick them out into the same kind 
of pots. When the plants have formed a 
few more leaves transfer them to 3-in. pots 
in a somewhat richer soil by adding a half 
part decayed cow manure to the compost 
recommended for sowing the seed. En- 
deavor to grow them as nearly hardy as 
possible. Still it will be necessary to pro- 
tect them from bright sun. 
The Cineraria is a very fast-rooting 
plant, and it will soon require another 
shift. It is the custom of some growers 
to transfer at once to the flowering pots. 
There is, however, some danger in this 
practice of over-potting ; therefore I would 
adyise one intermediate shift from 3-in. to 
5in. pots. By the time the plants have 
filled these pots with roots cold nights will 
have begun to take place, and the most ad: 
vanced plants will be ready for their final 
shift. For all ordinary purposes 7-in. 
pots are large enough, but the 8-in., or even 
larger pots, are allowable when very fine 
specimens are required. The soil for the 
final potting should be of a stronger 
nature than that used in the earlier stages 
of growth, and should consist of two parts 
loam, one part leaf mould, one part well- 
decayed cow manure, one part sharp sand. 
To each ordinary barrowful of this compost: 
add a 6-in. potful of dissolved bones (super- 
