The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-17

DER proper conQlGlOnS, &reab mo-
perhaps for centuries, and when IT,
slider that under these circumstances
protoplasm within the seed actually main.(
tains It's vitality, this fact Is very signif-
can't. On the question Of how seeds 90
complish this, much light has been thrown
by recent experiments Of G. de Candolle,
the French botanist, which he describes In
Le Revue Soientifque. Some parts Of
his article are as follows:
Seeds that have retained their germi-
mating power are said to possess latent
life. This expression lacks precision, for
we may ask whether the life of the seeds
Is completely arrested or II 1t is only re-
tarded, 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
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 q sealed tnbeg
containing only pure oarbonic acid gas
at the end Of two years the seeds {ct the
first lot had sensibly increased In weight
and nearly all had retained their gerfninat-
ing power. Those preserved In the oon-
fined air had increased less In weight and
germinated in less number than the pre- q.
ceding. Moreover, the air contained in
the tube with them had changed In COM
position. Its proportion Of oxygen had
fallen to 11.4 per cent, and there was
mixed with it 9:8p per cent Of carbonic acid.
AS to the seeds kept in the carbonic acid,
none Of them could germinate and their
weight had not changed" ~
Experiments are then described by N.
de Candolle that relate to the wonderful
power of resistance to cold displayed by
SEEDS. Experiments already made by 9TH
ers show that these seeds may germinate
after having been exposed to tempera-9
ture of zoos kelow zero, oentigrade. Now 4
the researches Of Piotet In his celebrated
low temperature laboratory In Berlin show
that at such point chemical action total
ly ceases. Hence the active life OF the
seeds In question must have been really
suspended, and nevertheless they were
able to germinate when planted. In N.
de Candolle's own experiments seeds were
subjected once day for 118 days to q tenn
perature of 1878 to 6S8 below zero, for s to
30 hours at time, and notwithstanding
this harsh treatment, they sprouted when
planted. If the life Of the seeds, however,
were really suspended they must be able (
to live out Of contact with air for certain
time. In order to see whether they could
do this, NJ. de Candolle kept seeds under
mercury from one to three months with Z
out killing them.
In this state Of suspended life seed 10
In q, chemical condition, according to n.
de Candolle, somewhat resembling that OF
an explosive mi1ture-that Is, 1t Ia ready
for chemical action (growth), but that 40 =
tion will not begin until the surrounding
conditions are right In the explosive
these are conditions Of dryness, temperass
ture, etc., Just as they are with the seed,
A seed, then, Is little bomb, only walt.
ing to be touched of to release Its store Of
energy and send out a discharge In tho
shape Of sprout. NJ. de Candolle re-
marks on this as follows:
"This state of chemical and vital inertia
may last long time, perhaps even indet-
nitely. It is at least, as 1t seems to me,
the only way of explaining the preserya-
ton of seeds during great number Of
wears, Cases are known where they hare
eerminated after period SO long that "
is impossible to believe that they have
J continued in life properly speaking, IN
the interval, no matter how slowly the
processes of life may have gone on. Here
are some remarkable examples:
sSs P. de Candolle mentions seeds that
spN AgeU we'll after more than 80
"Girardin A&.lsresr-heans sprout that
had lain in the storehouse of &aurnsfort;
more than 100 years.
"In 1850 Robert Brown sowed, t0rs
curiosity, some seeds from the collection
Of Sir Hans Sloane, where they had re-
mained for more than $50 years he suo.
ceeded In making several germinate, In
particular one of Nelumbium speciosum
| Ia water lily), of which the plan has been
preserved in the British museum, where
saw 1t few years since.
1.-THE alleged termination OF mummy
wheat is, as Is now generally known, but
o baseless fable. It appears, besides, that
the wheat was always starilized before be-
ing put into the saroophagL which pre-
oluded all possibility OF Its growth. buf
to make up for the falsity Of this story
divers we'll authenticated facts show that
seeds can preserve their power Of sprouting
after an extremely prolonged sojourn be-
meath the earth-that Is to say, In shelter
from atmospheric influences
"The most extraordinary case OF this
kind Is that observed several years since
by Professor De Heldreioh, director OF the
Botanic garden at Athens. While botan.
izing in the neighborhood Of the mines OF
Laurium this savant discovered, in 1873,
a elauoium that he took at once to be new
species, and he described it under the
name Of glsucium. This plant made its
appearance on piece Of land from whioh
had recently been removed thick layer OF
rubbish coming from the ancient working
O the neighboring mines. This layer
must have been at least 1,500 years old.
Unless we believe in spontaneous genera