434 



BOTANICAL GAZETTE 



[JUNE 



In no case does the maximum germination of seeds of a given kind 

 from dry storage equal that of seeds of the same kind from cold 

 wet storage. The effect of the cold wet storage is most noticeable 

 in the cases of Pinus Strobus and Cupressus macrocarpa, where 

 increases of 32 per cent and 31 per cent respectively were obtained. 

 For all of the seeds here reported on, except those of Pinus Strobus, 

 dry storage seemed to cause a decrease in viability. This can be 

 seen from the first four columns of the table. Tests of Pinus 

 Strobus were run for 60 days, the other three for 30 days. 



TABLE V 



Germination of seeds of conifers after soaking in weak acid and 

 storage at 3-5° c. 



The series of experiments shown in Table V was planned to 

 determine whether delay in germination is due to an alkaline or 

 neutral reaction of the embryo. It was thought that if such is the 

 case, weak acid solutions would change the reaction sufficiently 

 to cause growth to begin, when the seeds were placed in the proper 

 conditions. 



The results obtained for Pinus Strobus do not, however, bear 

 out this theory. Seeds injected with distilled water gave 18 per 

 cent better germination than those merely soaked in it, and slightly 

 better than those injected with weak hydrochloric acid. It seems 

 likely from this that delay is due merely to lack of water. When 



