| Show old lotus seeds sprouted in tests after years year seeds ot of the pink lotus of the orient to the botanists probably three to five centuries old were sprouted when properly treated by scientists of the field museum chicago doubts were cast on the viability of ancient seeds by the late sir wallis budge of the british museum perhaps the most distinguished egyptologist ot of our time he tested seeds of unquestionable age found in egyptian tombs but could not make them sprout his experiments as well as others conducted at rot hagsted ham sted england convinced him that there is no life left in seeds that are much older than years the field museums seeds came from southern manchuria professor ichiro mohga unearthed them from an ancient peat bed which had once been the bottom of a lake and which had been filles filled in A willow tree growing on the site measured four feet in diameter A smaller one near it was cut down and its annual rings counted there were mohga decided that the lotus seeds were from to years old he tested the seeds and found them still capable of germinating when those thos e received at the field museum were first softened with sulphuric acid to dissolve the glassy har hard d external coat professor asor charles A shull found no difficulty in verifying ohlas announcement other seeds which had been filed on the outside also germinated after having been soaked in water the seeds treated with acid germinated more rapidly and successfully |
