SOME STUDIES ON THE GERMINATION OF THE SEED OF ORYZA SATIVA. EE 
The works of Noppe (1876), Prittmux (1878), van TIEGHEM and 
BoNnIER (1882), Romanes (1893), Iranio GieLionı (1895), Hicks and Dapnry 
(1897), KinzeL (1897), Sanpsten (1898), Coupm (1899), Scum (1901), 
Dixon (1901), SUKATSCHEFF (1901), Kurzwetty (1903), Rape (1905), 
BECQUEREL (1907), SCHUBERT (1909), SCHROEDER (1910), and Smurz (1913) 
show on the other hand that the seeds of higher plants, especially in the 
desiccated condition, are extraordinarily resistant to various extreme conditions 
and the action of various antiseptics and poisons. PRILLIEUx (1878) studied 
the action of carbon bisulphide gas upon the grains and found that the exposure 
in the gas for a week decreased the percentage of germination to 50, by 15 
days’ exposure to 40, and by 21 days’ as low as 30. van TIEGHEM and 
BonnIEr (1882) have experimented on peas, and found that the exposure to 
the vapour of chloroform, alcohol, and ether for two days did not destroy 
the vitality of the seeds. Out of thirty seeds in each lot, more than half 
of them germinated. Romanrs (1893) kept the seeds of mustard, red clover, 
beet, clover, peas, beans, spinach, cress, barley, and radish in vacaum 
tubes for 15 months, and many of them germinated. Some of the seeds 
which had been in vacuo for a period of three months, and subsequently 
transferred to the tubes containing oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon 
monoxide, sulphuretted hydrogen, aqueous vapour, ether and chloroform gas 
respectively for a further period of three months, also germinated. Kınzen 
(1897) found in the dried seeds of peas, lupine, clover, barley, wheat, oats, 
and rye that two hours treatment with 0.1% formaldehyde solution was not 
injurious. 
CoupIn (1899) showed in the desiccated seeds of wheat and clover that 
the exposure to the vapour of ether and chloroform for 680 hours had no 
influence on the latent life, but moistened seeds were killed by the same 
treatment. Scumrp (1901) repeated a similar experiment with the air-dried 
seeds of Pisum sativum, Lepidium sativum, and Triticum sativum, to find 
whether or not the chloroform vapour is permeable to the seed coat. The 
exposure for 24 hours already destroyed some of the seeds of pea and wheat, 
and after exposure for four weeks, none of the seeds germinated. The seeds 
of garden cress, however, were not at all injured even after a continuous 
exposure for two months; when the intactness of the seed coat is destroyed, 
