Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-04-08

Qres OF moisture which dlHerene seeoa re-
ouire is almost as various as the range OF
temperature. While as a general thing
land plants will not. if an excess of moist
ure is present, yet they do sometimes ger
inmate when immersed in water. Water
is the natural medium for tie termination
of all aquatic seeds, and hence the pres
ence of an excess of water is needful in
stead Of injurious to them. It was for q
time thought that it was necessary to ex-
clude the light from terminating seeds,
and that it was for this reason that they
were buried in the earth. It is now gen
orally conceded that this is not the
case. The soil is utilized as medium for
the seeds to terminate in. most probably ON
account of it's ability to retain more or
less fixed physical condition of temperature
ard moisture. 1t is ell.known fact that
the less the moisture the deeper the seed
should be sown also, in moist, warm
weather small seeds do best when sown
broadcast, and simply smoothed over with
a roller also, that in spring, when the
ground is saturated, it is necessary that
the seeds be sown shallow, so that they will
get the greatest possible benefit from the
heat OF the sun. In moist and warm trop-
zeal climates the surface of the ground Is
often covered with vigorously terminating
seeds, which are only protected from the
direct sunlight by the f0liage of the trees
Any practical gardener knows that various
kinds of flower seeds terminate sooner and
surer when uncovered. There is no doub5
at the present time but that the
PRINCIPAL FUNCTION or THE SOIL
With reference to the seed is to maintain
those physical conditions best suited to
termination. The time required by seeds
to terminate is no more definitely fixed
than are the physical conditions, 1t may
be said very generally that the time of
termination, when the physical conditions
are perfect, depends largely on the size Of
the seed. Some small seeds begin to ger.
inmate within few hours after reaching
the soil. Wild seeds begin to spTout with
in twelve hours after they fall, while the
seeds OF most of our grains and cloveIs
require from three to FIVE days. Fruit and
nut seeds take from three weeks TO two
years, but the last is an extreme case.
The temperature being the same, the time
of complete termination, i. e., when the
nutritive matter of the parent seed has
been all absorbed by the young plant, de.
ponds upon the size OF the seed and the
amount Of food it contained. johnson says
that wheat and barley seed, at temper
ature OF II to So, complete their germl-
nation in forty to forty five days, and at
90' to l00' the same kinds of seeds take
only 10 to Il days to abstract all of the
substance from the parent seed. At
temperature of SIS to co. be gives 80 to DO
days as the time required by beans to
complete their termination, 30 to So days
for Indian corn, 20 to % days for wheat
and to 10 days for clover. The depth OF
sowing depends on the nature Of the soil,
its physical conditions, the temperature
of the atmosphere and the seed itself. This
being the case it will be folly for any one
to lay down definite rules to govern the
depth of sowing. The practical farmer,
who is acquainted with the conditions of
most vigorous termination, can alone judge
Of the proper depth of sowing by the sea-
SOD, condition Of his soil, state of the at
mosphere, temperature and the require
ments of the seed. All other conditions
being favorable, agricultural seeds will
germlnate most quickly and surely when
sowed at depth not exceeding one. half
inch. Seeds WiU terminate when sowed
as deep as IA to Is inches. In such cases
it is only by going so deep that the condi-
tons of termination can be fulfilled. The
, soil is loose and pervious to the atmos-
pheric air, but the climate is hot and the
moisture does not rise to the surface or
near it, hence the seed must be planted
down to the moisture.
THE CHEMICAL PHYSIOLOGY OF GERMINA-
TIoE.
During its early stages of growth the
young plant is entirely dependent for its
sustenance upon the material stored up in
the parent seed. In this particular it is
in an exactly similar condition as the suck
ling young of most animals. There are
three distinct processes of nutrition, VIZ
~ Solution of the nutrive matters of the
endosperm or cotyledons. ~ Transfer of
the same from the seed to the young seed
ling plant. 81 The assimilation by the
young plant Of this transferred nuritive
matter. The soluble amyloids and albu-
minoids-gum, dextrine, sugar, albumen and
caseine-are readily dissolved by the water
the seed absorbs during the first stages of
termination to the extent of from 25 to l2j
per cent of it's own weight. The insoluble
material of the seed-starch, fats, etc
are dissolved by chemical changes induced
during the termination of the seed. 1t has
been noticed that in seeds containing much
of the fats and oils and little or no
starch, sugar or dextrine, under the
influence of termination the oils and fats
are, to large extent, by some chemical
process displaced by starch and often by
sugar. TINS starch, and that already ex-
issing in the seeds, are converted into dex-
trine, and lastly into sugar, both of which
are soluble in water. The remaining in
soluble albuminoids of the seed are grad
ually changed into soluble notifications.
The preparation and properties of malt IL
lustrate some of the chemical changes in
duced by terminating seeds. Malt is man
ufactured by soaking generally
barley-until it is readily compressed
between the fingers. The water is then
drawn off and the grain is thrown up into
heaps. These heaps soon dry, and the
grain becomes heated and begins to sprout.
The grain is now spread out over the floor
so that the temperature will not rise too
high and cause the pile to heat" After
the sprouts have grown to about one and
one-half inches in length, the termination
is suddenly stopped by the application of
dry heat the sprouts are rubbed off, and
the residue forms the malt of the brewery.
Chemically it consists of starchy seeds, the
termination of which has been checked in
its early stages.
IN CHEMICAL COMPOSITION,
Malt does not differ very materially from
the original grain. A small part of the in
soluble materials of the grain has been
changed into soluble forms otherwise the
composition has not been altered, SO that
practically they are chemically almost
identical. But they differ most essentially
in some of their properties. The value of
malt arises from the peculiar property it has
of inducing or causing the albuminoids
and other insoluble substances to dissolve.
The starch which is contained in the malt,
and which under ordinary circumstances is