Show marvelously rapid plant growth the trick ot of the indian jugglers in which they cause a plant to gro grow v before the eyes of the spectators has often been described and generally explained as a pure illusion that there may be something more to it appears from the recent experiments ot of al ragonneau Ra gonneau who has succeeded in hastening the germination ot of seeds in a remarkable manner anner ni as we learn from the revue parts paris january to make a plant sprout the internal arid and external conditions must be just right first the grain must be be ripe though there are some exceptions the seeds of most leguminous plants being able to germinate when only halt half developed As to external conditions three are necessary heat humidity and oxygen kcf y es a new plant it if only one Is s lacking it refuses to sprout earth Is not indispensable to germination the little plant draws thence none of its nourishment during the earl earliest lest period of its life for or it has within the seed itself all it wants just as the young chicken has in its eggs it Is not until the roots are developed that they begin to utilize the materials of the soil the duration of 0 the germination Is very variable while certain seeds germinate in a day others require a year or even two now the question that presented itself to nf ragonneau Ra gonneau was whether he could not by artif artificial acial means hasten the germination yet more so as to lo cause it to take hours instead of days he finally discovered a curious method of accomplishing this which he has just described before the french society of agriculture it consists in moistening the seep seeds with a weak solution of formic acid one part to 01 oj water in a temperature of 80 to SO 90 degrees F lie he has thus succeeded in maring making seeds sprout in eight to ten hours the add acid by dissolving quickly the integument of the seed causes prompt penetration ot of the liquids the indian falers fakiri use so it is said exactly this method choosing EL a tender seed just before it ripens placing it in earth taken from an anthill ant hill and watering abundantly it Is well known that the bodies of ants furnish abundant quantities of formic acid which indeed was given its name from the latin word formica meaning an ant |