The San Francisco call., 1910-08-16
seed Centuries
old WON'T GROW
lale That Grain Found in the
Egyptian TOmbs Will Sprout
Is False
Experiments Prove That Ger
Hiinating Quality Disappears
After a Few Years

N~A - Nv NdI
Every one has heard of the grains of
wheat which have been found in Egyp-
tan sarcophagi, and which when sown
nave sprouted and grown like ordinary
wheat proving that they have retained
their vitality FOR thousands of years.
In Pompeii also has been found wheat
winch is alleged to have preserved its
power of termination. We are told that
plants of various sorts have been raised
from seed found in Gallo Roman graves
and in Peruvian graves dating back at
Ieast 9Oo years before the, Inca dynasty.
according TO CASTOR BONNER in Kos
NOS. when we examine attentively the
stories of the termination of seeds
round IN medieval, Gallo Roman and
Neltlc graves, we find. says a writer in
1he Philadelphia Record. that the plants
sileged to have sprung from these seeds
were usually such very common weeds
as mercury, bindweed cornflower and
camomile, which would very likely have
appeared even if no seeds had been
sown, as no precaution seems to have
been taken 10 prevent the access of
weed seeds This idea of the longevity
OF seeds is so firmly rooted in the
minds Of Z ma jority of educated per-
sons that the most absurd errors have
been committed.
SCIENTIST DECEIVED
Professor Heldreich of Athens saw the
yellow horn poppy CGlaucium fiavum)
growing on ground from which a thick
layer of mine refuse had lately been
removed. AS the scoria came from an
ancient Greek mine and had been
thrown on the site 1900 years pre-
NlOusly. the botanist concluded that the
seeds OF the horn poppy had lain buried
for that length Of time
An English botanist is said to have
found horn poppies growing in the de-
bris Of rocks Of the secondary forma
tion. which had been covered by a lias
deposit. and 10 have inferred that the
plants sprang from fossil seeds, which
had retained their vitality from that re-
mote geological period.
Much has been made of the single
bean. gathered by Tournefort, which is
said to have sprouted after it had lain
100 years in the herbarium. but other
beans from the same pod failed to
sprout when tested by another expert
menter. a century is very short in
comparison with the age of eocene de
pOsits or even that of Egyptian mum
mics. II the life OF seeds is entirely
latent and they are protected from ex-
vessels they should infallibly retain
their power Of growth. but gardeners
and seedsmeu know that this is not the
case.
In conjunction with Van Tieghern
continues the writer) I have made
some experiments for the purpose of
determining whether or not any per-
ceptible exchanges Of gases occur be-
tween the seeds and their environment.
We found that dry seeds absorbed very
small but measurable quantities of oXy-
gen and exhaled very small but meas
Urable quantities Of carbon dioXide- In
other words, the seeds breathed. though
very feebly. We also detected very
slight exhalation Of water vapor.
RESPIRATION OF SEEDS
Hence we concluded that respiration
continues in organisms which are COM
monty regarded as being in the condi-
tion Of latent life. and that the organ
isms die when respiration ceases. The
life OF such organisms therefore, is not
strictly latent, but only dormant, or re-
tarded. Our results have been contested
by adherents Of the theory of abso-
lutely latent life. Casimir de Candolle
asserts. without supporting the asser-
tiOn by experimental evidence, that the
slight respiration which we detected
can occur only in fresh seeds, which
have not Vet passed from the condition
OF retarded life into that of absolutely
latent life. Yet some of our seeds were
several years ola.
Let us return to the seeds found in
the graves of the Pharaolls. The only
striking popularity in the external ap-
pearance of such seeds is their color,
which is generally reddish brown. Ac-
cording 10 analysis made by Bonastre
in 1928 the so called -albumen" stored
in the seed. close to the embryo, which
~,fT ant
ouired for termination, contains sew
ersl organic substances which remain
unaltered for ages. The starch of these
seeds was colored blue by iodine. like
freshly formed starch This is a re-
markable discovery, which proves that
some organic compounds may be pre-
served indefinitely in appropriate con-
dftions. but it does not prove that the
seeds which contain these compounds
Will germinate-
EXPLAINING A DISCREPANCY
Gain and Brocq- Rousseau have stud
led both the terminating power and
the digestive distastes Of seeds Of va
rious ages, ranging from two to three
thousand wears. The seeds were OBJ
tained from u botanical and archaeo-
logical collections and included seeds
from ancient Peruvian tombs. In gen
eral, the distastes were preserved
but in no instance longer than 200
wears, while no seed more than 100
years old could be induced to germi-
nate. Yet men of scientific education
are alleged TO have actually observed
the termination of wheat found in the
tombs of the Pharaohs.
The distinguished Egyptologist, Mas
pero. in a letter written to Professor
Griffon, explains this discrepancy as
follows: "A distinction must be made
between experiments with seeds pur-
chased from natives and purporting to
come from ancient tombs, and expert
nents with seeds which have been
found in the tombs by the experiment
ers or have been obtained from trust
worthy persons. In the former case the
seed almost always terminates; in the
latter case il never does so, TO my
knowledge. The inference is obvious.
The fellahs adulterate the ancient seed
which they sell with at least an equal
quantity of new seed; the latter ger
inmates and the former does not, have
found in tombs many seeds of wheat,
barley, hemp, fax and other plants.
Some of these seeds had been parched,