112 ISABURO NAGAT: 
the vitality is lost within six hours. He concluded therefrom, that the 
chloroform vapour is just as injurious to the latent life of the seed as to the 
active plasm, and the resistance of the seeds to the anaesthetic gas is due 
to the impermeability of the seed covering to the gas and not to the latency 
of the plasm of the embryo as Coupin considered. Dixon (1901) found 
that though the desiccated seeds of Midicago sativa were exposed from 
10 to 30 days to the action of methyl alcohol, or to spirit saturated with 
mercuric chloride, or with picric acid their power of germination was not 
noticeably affected. Similarly the seeds of Papaver Rhaeas, P. somniferum, 
and Schizopetalon Walkeri resisted the action of spirit, but were killed by 
corrosive alcohol. The seeds of Papaver Rhaeas germinated after two days’ 
immersion in chloroform and two days in spirit. The seeds of Nicotiana 
Tabacum, Linaria reticulata, Gypsophila paniculata, and Calandrina umbellata, 
did not germinate. He was inclined to believe that the resistance is due 
to the protective action of the seed coat rather than to the latency in life of 
the embryo, for he found that none of the punctured seed germinated by 
immersion in poison, whereas the intact seeds germinated. 
SUKATSCHEFF (1901) observed that the sound seeds of Lepidium mutabilis, 
Pisum sativum in 100% and 90% alcohol for five days were not harmfully 
influenced. The seeds of Lupinus luteus were stabbed by the pen knife and 
allowed to stand in 90% and 100% alcohol from 1 to 18 hours, and they were 
found to be able to germinate. The seeds of Lepidium sativum similarly 
treated and allowed to stand from 12 to 37 hours in alcohol, germinated just as 
well as the control. He held the view, contrary to that held by Dixon and 
SCHMID, that injury to the seed coat is not a factor for losing vitality by 
subjecting the seed in alcohol or in chloroform. 
An extensive study of Kurzweııy (1903) showed that the desiccated 
seeds are extremely resistant. For example, the desiccated seeds of Sinapis 
alba axe able to germinate even after 541 days’ immersion in alcohol, ether, 
benzol and carbon bisulphide. The steeping for 536 days in the above stated 
compounds is not fatal to the desiccated seeds of Trifolium incarnatum, 
of which 44% (carbon bisulphide) to 52% (ether) germinated. Likewise 
the seeds of Trifolium hybridum, Ervum lens, and Helianthus annuus were 
proved to be highly resistant. Ether and chloroform in gaseous state are 
