Germination of rice seeds under water is accompanied by greater loss of dry matter and change in properties of colloidal substances than germination on filter paper. The volume of the seedling itself increases more rapidly on the filter paper than under water. In general, enzyme action is suppressed in seeds germinating under water especially in the case of sac-charase and catalase. Respiration intensity of seeds of Oobe and Bely vars., germinated on filter paper, is practically equal. When germinated under water, seeds of both varieties respired considerably less intensely. The lowland variety Oobe absorbs oxygen more freely under water than the upland variety Bely. The R. Q. for both lowland and upland vars. when germinated on filter paper is approximately the same, but differs markedly in the case of seeds germinated under water; in the latter case it is always > 1.