Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-04
THE VITALITY OF SEEDS,
One Of the Tests They Will Stand IL
Cold 500 Degrees Below Zero.
From the Literary DIGEST

One OF the Tests They VIII Stand il
Cold 500 Degrees Below Zero.
From the Literary Digest.
Not long ago it was generally believed
that grains of wheat from Egyptian tombs
had been made to terminate. and there
seemed. therefore, to be no limit to the
dormant life Of a seed. When these stories
were proved to be without foundation there
was general tendency to disbelieve all of
similar kind. Now, however, it seems es-
tablished that seeds may live, under proper
conditions, a great many years, perhaps
for centuries; ard when we consider that
unoer these circumstances the protoplasm
within the seed actually maintains its
vitality, this fact is very significant On
the question OF how seeds accomplish THU
much light has been thrown by recent ex-
periments of c. de Candolle, the French
botanist, which he describes in the Revue
Scientif1que. Some parts of his article are
as follows:
Seeds that have retained their germinat-
.ng power are said to possess latent life'
This expression lacks precision, for we may
ask whether the life of the seeds is COM
pletely arrested or il 1t Is only retarded
and the answers would not be the same in
all cases.
we owe to Messrs. Van Tieghem and
bounier the following experiment, which
proves that seeds can, in fact, live for a
certain time this retarded life. Three lots
OF the same number of peas and beans
were placed, the first In the open air, the
second in sealed glass tube containing
ordinary air, the third in a sealed tube con-
tanning only pure carbonic acid gas. At the
end OF two years the seeds of the first lot
had sens!bly increased in weight, and near
~ all had retained their terminating power.
Those preserved In the confined air had
increased less in weight and terminated in
less. rumber than the preceding. Moreover,
the air contained in the tube with them
mad charged In composition; its proportion
or oxygen had fallen to ia per cent and
there was mixed with it 3.S per cent of
carbonic acid. As to the seeds kept in the
carbonic acid. none Of them could germi-
rate, and their weight had not changed"
Experiments are then described by NJ de
Candolle that relate to the wonderful power
OF resistance to cold displayed by seeds
Experiments already made by others show
that these seeds may terminate after hav-
ing been exposed to a temperature of 1,O0S
below zero. centigrade. Now the researches
or Pictet in his celebrated low-temperature
laboratory in Berlin show that at such
point chemical action totally ceases; hence
the active life of the seeds in question must
have been really suspended and neyerthe-
less they We're able to terminate when
planted. In NJ de Cardolle's own expert
ments seeds were subjected once day for
llS days to temperature of 31S to 53S
below zero. for eight to twenty hours at a
time, and notwithstanding this harsh treat
ment, they sprouted when planted. II the
IKE VI the SEEDS, however, were really SuS-
pended, they must he able to live out of
contact with air for certain time. In or
der to see whether they could do this NJ
de Candolle kept seeds under mercury from
one to three months without killing them
In this state of suspended life seed is in
a chemical condition, according to NJ de
Candolle somewhat resembling that of an
explosive mixture: that is, 1t is ready for
chemical action (growth), but that action
VII not begin until the surrounding condi-
tions are right. In the explosive these are
conditions of dryness. temperature, &C.,
just as they are with the seed. seed,
then, Is little bomb, only waiting to be
touched off to release Its store of energy
and send out discharge in the shape of a
sprout M. de Candolle remarks OH this as
follows:
This state of chemical and vital inertia
may last for long time, perhaps even in
definitely. 1t is, at |, est, it seems to me,
the only way Of explaining the preserva-
ton of seeds during a great number Of
years. Cases are known where they have
terminated after period so long that it is
impossible to believe that they have con-
tinued in life, properly speaking, in the in
terval, no matter how slowly the processes
Of life may have gone on"