8 STOKAGE AND GERMINATION OF WILD RICE SEED. 



In sowing' the seed considerable rare must he exercised in selectinsf 

 a suitable place, securing the proper depth of water, etc. Good 

 results can be expected if the seed is sown in from 1 to 3 feet of water 

 which is not too stagnant or too swiftly moving, with a thick layer of 

 soft mud underneath.^' It is useless to sow wild rice seed on a o-ravellv 

 bottom or in water where the seed will be constantly disturbed by 

 strong currents. 



Previous to this time, save in a few reported cases, the seed which 

 was allowed to dry during the winter and was sown the following 

 spring gave only negative results. It is now definitely known that 

 wild rice, if properly handled, can be stored during the winter without 

 impairing the quality of germination to any appreciable degree, and 

 that it can be sown the following spring or summer with good success. 



DIRECTIONS FOR STORING THE SEED. 



The vitalit}" of wild rice seed is preserved almost perfectly if kept 

 wet in cold storage — Nature's method of preservation. This method 

 of storage implies that the seed has been properly harvested and cared 

 for up to the time of storage. The seed should be gathered as soon 

 as mature, put loosely into sacks (preferal)ly l)urlap), and sent at once 

 to the cold-storage rooms. If the wild rice fields are some distance 

 from the cold-storage plant the sacks of seed should be sent by express, 

 and unless prompt delivery can be guaranteed it is not advisable to 

 send by freight even for comparatively short distances. It is very 

 important that the period between the time of harvesting and the 

 time when the seed is put into cold storage be as short as possible. 

 If this time is prolonged to such an extent as to admit of much fer- 

 mentation or to allow the seed near the outside of the bags to become 

 dry during transit, its vitality will be greatly lowered. 



It is not practicable to give an}^ definite length of time which may 

 elapse between harvesting and storing, inasmuch as the temperature, 

 humidity, and general weather conditions, as well as the methods of 

 handling the seed, must be taken into consideration. Let it sufiice to 

 say, however, that the vitalit}- of the seed will be the stronger the 

 sooner it is put into cold storage after harvesting. 



As soon as the seed is received at the cold-storage plant, while it is 

 still fresh and before fermentation has taken place, it should be put 

 into buckets, open barrels, or vats, covered with fresh water, and 

 placed at once in cold storage. If there is present a considerable 

 quantity of light immature seed or straw, broken sticks, etc., it will 

 be profitable to separate this from the good seed b}' floating in water 



« Wild Rife: Its Uses and Propagation. Bulletin No. 50, Bureau of Plant industry, 

 United States Department of Agriculture, 1903. 



