The Effect of Alcohol and Chloroform on the Grains of Indian Corn: Thesis (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt From The Effect Of Alcohol And Chloroform On The Grains Of Indian Corn: Thesis The Length Of Time During Which Seeds Under Various Conditions Retain Their Vitality Is A Subject Which Has Interested Numerous Investigators. Seeds Of Various Kinds Have Been Subjected To Extremes Of Temperature, To The Prolonged Action Of Certain Gases, And To Treatment With Different Poisonous Liquids, With The Result That Dry Seeds Seem Very Resistant To Conditions Which Do Not Favor Growth. Such Experiments Are Of Interest Because Of Their Value In The Investigation Of The Nature Of Living Matter. From Well Directed Experiments It Has Been Concluded That Living Matter May Exist Without Any Chemical Change, And May Therefore, Retain Its1 Vitality In A Condition Of Suspended Animation For An Indefinite Period Of Time. Other Experiments Dealing With The Influence Of Poisons Upon Plant Organs Have Suggested That The Marked Resistence Of Many Seeds To Certain Poisons Is Due, Not To The Stag Bility Of Quiescent Protoplasm, But To The Imperviousness Of The Seed Coat. The Seed Coats Of Various Grasses Have Been Found To Behave As A Semi Permeable Membrane, Allowing Certain Substancesi To Pass Through But Preventing The Entrance Of Others. In A Number Of Cases It Has Been Well Established That This Membrane When Dry Is Quite Impervious To Certain Anhydrous Liquids And Gases. On The Other Hand, When The Membrane Contains Definite Amounts Of Moisture It Becomes Readily Permeable To These Agents. The Same Is True When.Water Is Added To The Agent Itself. About The Publisher Forgotten Books Publishes Hundreds Of Thousands Of Rare And Classic Books. Find More At Www.Forgottenbooks.Com This Book Is A Reproduction Of An Important Historical Work. Forgotten Books Uses StateOfTheArt Technology To Digitally Reconstruct The Work, Preserving The Original Format Whilst Repairing Imperfections Present In The Aged Copy. In Rare Cases, An Imperfection In The Original, Such As A Blem