152 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



ly fill the seed coats and dead seeds are empty or nearly so. Poor 

 seeds are frequently discolored on thu interior. 



4. Water test; weak seeds and dead seeds float while good seeda 

 sink. 



5. Blotter test; actual germination between blotters. 



6. Moist chamber test; actual germination in moist chambers. 



7. Sawdust test; actual germination in moist sawdust. 



8. Soil test: 



a. In greenhouse — actual germination. 



b. In nursery beds — actual germination. 



At present, the Forest Service is testing forest tree seed on a larg« 

 scale and good results are already being secured. 



Seed Sowing. 



This subject has been considered in many works on forestry and while 

 general results apply very well, there can be little doubt that for many- 

 species, variation will be necessary to a striking degree. It is also 

 apparent that considerable experimentation will be necessary for many of 

 our species which have not been extensively grown and concerning which 

 there is meagre information. 



In most of the Forest Service nurseries, the system of drill or row 

 planting prevails. However, there is still considerable discussion con- 

 cerning the relative merits of broadcasting, sowing in drills lengthwise 

 of the bed, and sowing in drills crosswise of the bed. Each system has 

 strong merits and will be followed according to local requirements. 



It should be easy to determine what system of drill seeding is to be 

 preferred, since the principle is practically the same. Crosswise rows 

 are more easily cultivated and more easily weeded than lengthwise rows 

 but the latter are sown much more quickly and require slightly more 

 time in weeding and cultivation. At Halsey, Nebraska, root pruning is 

 much more easily accomplished in long rows than in crosswise rows. 

 On the whole, results seem to favor the long row as the cheaper method 

 of producing seedlings, since it saves time in spring and early summer 

 when time is most valuable. Bull pine (pinos pouderosa) may be sown 

 in lengthwise rows at five to ten cents per pound while crosswise rows 

 would cost three or more times as much. 



For seed drills, the planet, Jr and the Iron Age are especially 

 valuable. The first mentioned is usually preferred for conifers since it 

 sows more evenly and ordinarily gives better results with unclean seed. 

 The Iron Age is sometimes proferred for deciduous tree seed. This 

 difference in use is largely due to a metal device for controlling seed flow 

 in the Planet, Jr and a brush device in the Iron Age. It is held, however, 

 that the unsatisfactory results with the Iron Age machine are often due 

 to a lack of care rather than to the defects of the machine. Both of these 

 machines give the best results with coniferous seed of moderate size, such 

 as those of Bull pine (pinus ponderosa), Scotch pine (plnus sylrestris), 

 Jeffrey pine, (pinus Jeffrey!) and white pine (pinus strobus). Smaller 



