SOME STUDIES ON THE GERMINATION OF THE SEED OF ORYZA SATIVA. 137 
what different account. The pericarp consists of (1) epidermis, (2) parenchyma 
of five to six cell layers, (3) chlorophyll layer of two cell layers, and (4) tube 
cells. The spermoderm (seed coat) consists of (5) three to four layers of 
cells when the seed is yet young, but in the matured grain, only one cell 
layer is observed. 
Likewise in the case with wheat, statements by the different authors 
do not agree. Nırsson-EHuLEe (1914) is led to consider that the statement 
which we find in the standard text-books seems to require some revision. 
According to them, the seed coat of wheat consists only of two cell layers, 
derived from the inner integument, but what he actually finds, is that the 
seed coat consist of two entirely independent layers which are insoluble in 
concentrated sulphuric acid, and in the case with the ‘red’ seed, these two 
layers are present, but in the case with ‘white’ seed, the inner layer is 
resorbed. 
The writer made no attempt to trace the development of the ovary in 
rice ; the investigation has only been confined to the young and fully matured 
grains of the agricultural varieties known as “ Hassaku”’, and “ Kumamoto”, 
both being the upland rice and grown in the University Farm. The material 
is fixed with a chromo-acetic mixture, or Flemming’s weak solution and 
imbedded in paraffine. The microtome sections are stained with iron-alum 
haematoxylene or the triple staining with safranine, gentian violet and 
orange G. The following layers are clearly observed in the matured grain : 
The seed covering consisting of (1) epidermis with a thin cuticula layer, (2) 
parenchym comprised of ten to twelve cell layers, (3) chlorophyll layers (two 
cell layers), (4) tube cells, which lie transversely to the previous cell layers 
(Compare Pl. IX, figs. 1-2). It is almost impossible to observe definitely 
the true structure of the seed coat in the grain, even in the milk-ripe stage. 
The anatomical positions to which the remaining existing tissues in the 
matured seed covering should properly be placed, can only be defined by fol- 
lowing up the development of the ovary from a very early stage. In the 
milk-ripened grain only two distinct cell layers are observed between the tube 
cells and the aleurone layer, and these two layers must be a part of the integu- 
ment and the nucellus. A thick cutinized layer is found between these two 
layers (Pl. IX fig. 1-2, c), and in a fully matured grain the cutinized layer 
