The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-03-04

C6ut, VII tuO 4uCotion 20 ~ ~ ~
oomplish this, much light has been thrown
BY recent experiments Of G. dc Candolls,
the French botanist, which ho describes In
Le Revue Scisntilquo. Some parts Of
bis article arc a. follows:
"Seeds that have retained their germi-
mating power are said to possess latent
life This expression lacks precision, for
va may ask whether the life Of the seeds
10 completely arrested or II 10 Is only 10
tarded, and the answers would moi DO the
same In all casea.
I'VE owe to Messrs. Van Tieghem and
Bounier the following experiment, which
proves that seeds AN, In fact, live for o
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 O scaled glass tube containing
ordinary air, the third in q sealed tubs
containing only pure oarbonio acid gas
At tho end Of two years the seeds OF the
first lot had ssnsibly increased In weight,
and nearly all had retained their germinat-
Ing power. Those preserved In the con.
fned air had increased less In weight and
germinated In lsas number than che pro
oeding. Moreover. the air contained In
the tube with them had changed In com.
position. Its proportion Of oxygen had
fallen to ia per cent, and there was
mixed with IL S.8 per cont Of oarbonio acid.
A to tho seeds kept In the 0arbonic ecid,
none Of them could germinates and their
weight had not changed"
Experiments nre then described by II.
do Candolle that rotate to the wonderful
power Of resistance to cold displayed BY
seeds. Experiments already made by 9th.
es show that these seeds may germinate
altar having bean exposed 70 o tonpern-
ture Of zoos kelow zero, centigEade. Now
tho researches Of Piotet In his celebrated
low temperature laboratory In Berlin show
that as such o point chemical action total.
" ceases. Hence the active life OF the
soods In question must have been really
suspended, and nevertheless they were
abs to terminate when planted. In IL.
do Candolle's " experiments soods were
subjected once o day for 11s days to . tenn.
peraturs Of s7S to 63s below zero, for 8 10
90 hours as o time, and Notwithstanding
this harsh treatment, they sprouted when
planted. II tho life Of the seeds, however,
wero really suspended they must DO able
20 1--we ont of contact with air for o certain
time. In order to see whether they could
do this n. do Candolle kept seeds under
mercury from one to three months with.
out killing them. :,
In this state Of suspended life . seed b
In q chemical condition, according to n.
do Candolie, somewhat resembling that OF
an explosive mixsure-ttust Ia. 10 b ready
for chemical action (grovvthl, but that 10
A. -aNI 49, kc-1n r,ntNl thA a~nSRnnnAtn0
conditions arc right. In tho explosive
these ar0 conditions Of tdryness, .tempera-
ture, etc.. Just a. they ore with the seed.
A seed, then, 10 o little bomb. only walt.
ing 10 DO touched on to Felease its store OF
energy and send out . discharge In the
shape Of o sprout. NJ. do Candolls ~
marks ON this a. follows:
"This state Of chemical and vital inertia
may last o long time, perhaps oven inded.
pitely. It Il at least, as It seems to me-.
the only way Of explaining the preserve
ton Of seeds during great number Of
years. Cases are known where they have
terminated after . period 50 long that 10
Is impossible to belieTO that they have
continued In lif0. properly speaking. In
the interval, no matter how slowly the
pIOOC08oo "a AAho htuy ass 0SAS S~ ~~S
arc some remarkable examples:
"A. p. dc Candolle mentions seeds that
sprouted very well after moro than 90
years.
"Girsrdin has seen beans Prous that
hsd lain In the storohouso Of Toufnssort
more than 100 years.
"In 1850 Robert Brown sowod, from
curiosity, some seeds from the collection
Of Sir Hans Sloane, where they had 70
manned for more than $50 yearA he suo-
coeded In making several germinate, In
particular one Of Nelunbium speclosum
70 winter lilyl Of which tho plan has besn
preserved In the British museum, whsro ]
saw IL o few years since.
1.-THE alleged germination OF mummy
wheat 10, % II now generally known, but
Q beseless fable. II appears, besides, that
tho wheat was always sterilized before be
ing put into the ~saroophagt, which pro-
elud0d all possibility Of its growth. But
10 make up for the falsity Of this story
divers we'll authenticated facts show thai
seeds can preserve their power Of sproutins
after an extremely prolonged ~sojourn be-
neath the earth--that Ia to say. In shelssR
trom atmospheric influences
"The most extraordinary oass OF tha
kind 10 that observed several years dncs
By Professor Do Heldreieh, director OF the
Botanic garden at Athens. While botan-
lzinR In the neighborhood Of the mines OF
Laurium this savant discovered. In 1878,
4 Rlaucium that he took at onos TO be new
species, and he described It under the
name Of glauoium. This plant made Ito
appearance on q piece Of land from which
had recently BEEN removed o thick layer OF
subbish coming from tho ancient working
. tho neighboring mines. THIS layer
must have been AZ least 1900 years old.
Unless We believe in spontaneous genera
ton, 1t seems neoes0ary TO suppose that
this glauoium must be o species that ex.
listed long ago In the locality, whose seeds
had been preserved In the earth and rub
bish that covered them. "-Liternry Di.
gest-
A Bishop Defends Tooeoco.
Another stalwart defender OF the habit
| Of smoking Is the bishop OF Manchester.
Hs has publicly stated that he has found
tobacco to act o useful part In enabling
him to discharge his ministerial duties.
-. 4 A. kk4 pykll, ~