The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-01-15
L., alton of Seed-Vitality.

The question of the duration of the
vitality of seeds is one of much interes
to Science. but one which has received
as yet little help from exact observation
1t is known that the seeds of many plants
may be kept without injury for several
wears The conditions most favorable
for their preservation are dry atmos
phere and low temperature Wher
buried deeply in dry hard soil, seedi
have been known to retain life for ar
untold length of time. DR.. Carpenter
relates, in his work on Vegetable PLY,
siology," that, west of Stirling, England
some workman were ditching in a clay
soil which had been covered with IA fee
of peat. \ clegyman standing by OBJ
served seeds in the clay these thrown tc
the surface, which he secured and plant.
ed. They germInated and produced a
species of chrysanthemum. 1t is imposs.
ible to estimate the time which these
seeds had lain in the ground, while their
covering of clay and the II feet of peat
earth was slowly aceumulating over
them; but it must have been an enor.
nous period.
1t is on record by DR.. Lindley, that
raspberry-seeds taken from the stomach
of man who had been buried with the
coins of the emperor Hadrian, and whose
skeleton was found so feet below the
surface, at the bottom barrow, or an
cient burial-place, near Dorchester, ger
minated in the Horticultural Garden,
where they were planted. 1t was COM
puted that these seeds were 1,600 or Loo
years at the old time of their recovery.
Forty miles from the ea-coast, in the
State of Maine, well was sunk to the
depth of 20 feet, when layer of sand
was struck, which was in its character
unlike any sand nearer the sea-beach.
When drawn up from the well, it was
placed in pile by itself In the course
of a year or two, this sand was covered
with growth of strange plants, which
proved 10 be beach-plum trees. No trees
of the kind had ever been seen in the
vicinity before, indeed anywhere except
upon the sea shore. The conclusion to
which probability tends is, that the
plants grew from seeds that had been
buried for ages in the stratum of sea
sand pierced by the diggers.
1t is also stated by DIR. Carpenter, from
whom we have the preceding particulars
that seeds found in the herbarium of DIR.
Tournefort, a French botanist, were
found to retain their vitality after the
lapse of a century. The stories of the
growth of corn and wheat from grains
buried with Egyptian mummies are not
accepted as authentic evidence, as in
these cases there has been opportunity
for the practice of deceit by the Arabs
who had the handling of the bodies.
From a series of courteous experiments
in floating seeds upon salt waler, and
immersing them in it, DR.. Darwin infers
that the seeds of one-tenth of the plants
of any fora could be foated across a sea
900 miles wide without losing their Wit
ality. He found that few seeds sur
vived immersion in salt water 81 days.
Dried hazelnuts foated 90 days, and af-
terward germinated. Ripe asparagus
berries aoated So days. and proved to be
unhurt. Peas are quickly destroyed by
salt water, but some taken from the crop
of dead pigeon that had foated 80 days
were uninjured. The crops of birds do
not harm seeds, aud the harder sorts will
pass safely through the digestive organs
of even a turkey. DR.. Darwin raised
two beet-plants from seeds that had been
tn the stomach of bird of prey for
days and IA hours.