The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-07-14
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.



cerements, which vegetated after having been
thus inferred for hundreds and even thous-
ands OF years. Such stories are either apoc-
ryphal or absolutely without foundation-not
that the persons relating them intend to de-
ceive, but they themselves are deceived TAX
ing things for granted without bestowing
thought upon the matter, or referring it to
the investigation of scientific men. 1t is we'll
known that the Arabs, who are by no means
saints, fully understand the art of getting up
mummies and other Egyrtion antiques for
the European and American markets.
Some of the receptions practiced in this
line appear quite ludlcrous, as in the case of
the mummy unrolled at Boston some years
ago. This, before being unrolled, was thought
from the inscription on the sarcophagus to
have been an Egyptian princess of high
distinction; but when unrolled, before a
large audience of distinguished ladies and
gentlemen, it proved to be an individual of
the opposite sex. The princess's remains had
no doubt been destroyed by the Arabs for the
sake of the gold ornaments and perhaps other
valuables upon them, and another mummy
placed in the sarcophagus to make a g. odsale
of that. In all such operations of changing
mummies it Is probable that some OF the
grain used by the operating Arabs, either fol.
themselvs or for feeding their horses, drops
into the sarcophagus or into the folds of the
wrappings of the mummy. and when found is
supposed to be coeval with it in age.
Notwithstanding this, tits true that many
seeds, when deeply buried in the ground or
placed in situations where they are shielded
from the influences necessary for germina-
ton, will maintain their vitality for long
periods of time, in rare cases even for fifteen
or sixteen centuries. Professor Lindley cites
case of the termination or raspberry seeds
found in the abdominal cavity Of skeleton
buried in coffin thirtyIfeet below the sur
face of an ancient tumulus orl barrow in En-
gland. With the skeleton were found some
coins of the Emperor Adrian, so that it was
probably 1900 or 100 years old. Another
instance is known of the vegetation of seeds
which were found in Scotland at the bottom
of sand pit twenty-five feet deep, the geol-
ogical formation of the land showing that
they must have lain buried there over 1000
years. So also number of skeletons were
found in France, deeply buried in the ground,
the head of each skeleton restiog on a small
heap or pillow of seed, which subsequently
terminated. Collateral circumstances show
ed that these graves were Of roman origin,
and that the skeletons must have been those
OF bodies inferred there 1900 or 1900 years
previously.
We see further instances of such Vitality in
the termination of seed upon land which has
been turned up from great depth. In Zea-
land, when some marshes were drained, a
species of cyperus or rush made its appear
ance In great abundance, although it had
never before been seen in the neighborhood.
After draining and ploughnig the fens lin
Cambridgeshife, England, large quantities of
field and white mustard sprang up, although
not previously known there. A late in
stance is that of the removal of the Stag of
the Laurium silver mines in Greece, which
have not been worked for over 1900 years.
On removing the Stag, new species of glau-
cium or horn-poppy made its appearance.
After fire in the spruce and fir forests of
some sections Of this country, a luxuriant
growth of raspberries come in, and after
these comes birches. In Monmouth county,
New jersey. the application of grrnsanp mari
to the sterile soil brings in white clover
where before it was not known. So, to,
when the Mattos Virgens, or virgin forests
of Brazil are destroyed by fire, they are sue
ceeded by a vegetation ola totally different
kind.
These instances goes to show that ex.
clusion from light aud heat, moderate dry
ness, and uniform temperature are requisite
for long periods of time, and that a combina-
ton OF such circumstances accounts for the
temperance of plants or crops which may
have been destroyed or disappeared from
given locality. In field that was subsoiled
for carrots, a crop of turn:ps appeared, the
seedIofwhich, sown eight years before, had evil
IDENTIFY been carried down into the earth by
heavy, flooding rains. So in bitches that
have been filed up, and re-opened after an
interval of years, plants that Ihad not been
seen in the interim again appeared.
2But when seeds are kept in the ordinary
way, in boxes or bags, their vitality soon dis
aunaAYN DacandnlIa In 1SdR pynarimontnd
upon seeds of 1858 species belonging to about
$50 genera, which had been gathered in 1881,
fifteen years before. OF these only II species
terminated. Of 367 species it was noted
that 8 out Of $50 were ANNALS, 4 ont Of $50
were perennials, 3 out of A were woody
plants. and the remainder, ~ biennials, did
not vegetate at all. From this it wonld ap-
pear that ANIMALS have more vitality than
perpennials, biennials less than either, and
woody plant more than any of them. The
average vitality of the 1858 species expert
mented with appears as very much less than
fifteen years; yet there are exceptional cases
10 be found. Cucumber seed has terminated
when seventeen years old; maize, when
thirty; French beans, over thirty-three; colsa,
At eighteen; melons. over forty; sensitive
plants, at sixty: and rye, at over one humid
red and forty years. In all such cases the
termination is weak, and seldom produce
strong, thrifty plants; and as comparatively
few seeds terminate, gardeners and seedsmen
seldom SOW or sell ordinary garpen seeds at
any thing approaching such an age.
The following table of most of the leading
vegetables gives the age of the seed during
which 10 will fully and strongly germinate, if
properly kept, in small quantitie,, in cool,
airy place, and in an atmosphere neither too
dry nor too damp;
w