Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-02-06

SM(XN.YIl puted quest q IL
fSIGO among men of sci
NMNTSa ence Many persons
| IN wv still believe that
~ wheat has been
grown from seed
found in Egyptian
| mummy cases, and that grain could
| be made to sprout from seed found
, in Pompeii and Herculaneum. An
elaborate and interesting series of
,, experiments made by Professor
i 1talo Giglioli OF the royal high
school of agriculture. at Portici, near
Naples. as communicated to Nature,
throws considerable light on the mat
ter. The seeds used were put away In
the fall Of 1877 and spring of 1873 and
were tested in August, 1894, the long
est time that any had been kept being
| lew days less than seventeen years,
and the shortest fifteen years, nine
| months and few days; the average
was about sixteen years and a half
Lncerne seed was chiefly used and the
| results really apply only to that plant,
Tor the wheat, vetch, corinder and 9TH
er seeds tried happened to be put into
| solutions that proved fatal to lucerne
| loo. The seeds were put into small
Dubbed tubes, into which dry grass
was passed, and the tubes were then
sealed and kept in the dark; others
were put into alcohol, ether, chloroform
and other liquids. but the alcoholic So
| lutions alone could be tested. as the
other liquids evaporated.
Out Of 800 seeds kept in nitrogen,
III terminated; Of 500 kept In arseni-
| uretted hydrogen. 351 terminated. as
did PA out of 266 kept in carbon mon
| oxide; 40 out Of GO lived that had been
kept in strong alcohol, originally abso-
lutte. Seeds kept in chloroform, in by
| drogen. in alcoholic solution Of phenol,
and in carbon dioxide all died. With
other gases and solutions the results
were not SO decisive; only out Of 293
in oxygen lived; SO out of 500 in chic
rlne and hydrochloric acid; / out of
lOl lucerne seeds and none out of 80
wheat seeds in sulphuretted hydrogen;
out of 600 in nitric oxide. In alco-
holic solutions, IL seeds out of 70 kept
in solution of corrosive sublimate
! terminated; l out of GAS in that of sui
phur diox!de al out OF 5Ss In that of sui
phuretted hydrogen, and II out OF 2SS
in that of nitro oxide.
Many Of the terminating plants were
put into flower pots, where they grew
we'll, lowered and seeded normally.
When the seeds were put away Pro-
lessor Giglioli was not aware OF the evil
effect of even small proportions Of
moisture; he thinks If he had taken
more care in excluding moisture from
the seeds and from the gases, much
larger number of seeds would have re-
tanned their vitality. There is no rea-
son apparent why the seeds planted
could not have been kept indefinitely
in the solutions without further change.
He has established that, for some seeds,
at least, respiration or exchange with
the surrounding medium is not neces-
sary for the preservation of germ life.
There is reason for believing that
living matter may exist in a complete
ly passive state, without any chemical
change. and may maintain its special
properties for an indefinite time, as is
! the case with mineral and all lfeless
matter. In experimenting with seeds
from Pompeii and Herculaneum, he
has not yet found any living grain;
they are too much carbonized to ad-
NIT Of much hope. especially those
from Pompeii, which have been ex-
posed to the slow action OF moisture.
II the seeds found in the granaries of
the Casa d'Argo" at Herculaneum in
1928 had been planted at once, a fair
test might have been had, as they had
been preserved under favorable cordi-
tions; it is too late now, as they have
been SO long exposed to light and air.
Fail Flowing Sod Ground Where
there is a heavy old sod of natural
grasses the soil beneath it is to great
extent protected from freezing. When
once frozen it is equally protected from
thawing until warm weather comes in
spring In this condition the grass
roots remain uninjured, and when the
sod is turned under in spring they are
ready to grow. But If the sod is fail
plowed with an open soil surface it
freezes and thaws with the slightest
change in the weather. Before spring
time the soil to the depth of the furrow
will be thoroughly mellowed and many
of the grass roots will be destroyed. Ii
makes a great deal Of difference to the
cultivation whether the sod is turned
under in fall or spring. There may be
some loss from blowing or washing The
surface of fall-plowed sod, but this is
more than balanced by the ease of Gull
tivation and the greater availability of
what fertility the soil possesses.-Ex.