SEEDS WEEDS. 1089 



The preparation and management of hedges, T. Conway ( Trans. English, 

 Arbor. Soc, 6 (1904-5), pt. J, pp. 46-56). — The author describes the methods of 

 preparation of the ground, mode of planting, and proper treatment of hedges of 

 hawthorn, beech, hornbean, holly, privet, myrtle, etc. 



Strength of timber treated with preservatives (Forestry and Irrig., 11 (1905), 

 No. 1. pp. 84-36). — A description is given of the plan pursued by the Bureau of 

 Forestry in treating and testing timber at the St. Louis timber testing station. 

 Experiments have been carried on with both green and seasoned Loblolly pine to 

 determine the effect of the preliminary processes, such as steaming, on the mechan- 

 ical properties of the timber, and also to determine the effect of preservatives on the 

 strength of the timber. The preservative fluids investigated included only creosote 

 and zinc chlorid. 



The work is not sufficiently advanced to allow t lie drawing of final conclusions, 

 but from the preliminary results it was found that the steaming process weakened 

 the resistance of the wood fiber to both static and impact loadings, and the diminu- 

 tion was nearly in direct proportion to the length of time that the steam pressure 

 was applied. The diminution in strength was found to be 25 per cent after under- 

 going a pressure of 20 lbs. for 10 hours when applied to green loblolly pine, and 10 

 per cent when applied for 4 hours. 



From these preliminary results it is recommended that where possible the use of 

 preliminary steaming operations for preserving wood should be dispensed with. 



The preliminary experiments with zinc chlorid do not seem to indicate that this 

 preservative reduces the strength of the timber beyond the effect of the steaming 

 process. It is possible that the crystallization of the zinc chlorid will ultimately 

 weaken the wood fiber. The effect of creosote appears to be about the same as that 

 of an equal amount of water; that is, the strength of creosoted timber is about equal 

 to that of the green timber. 



SEEDS— WEEDS. 



A new method of treating seed, E. Breal and E. Giustiniani (Compt. Rend. 

 Acad. Sci. [Paris], 139 (1904), No. 14, i>i>. 554-556) .—The investigations of the authors 

 have shown that vetch seed placed for 20 hours on moist plaster disks increased their 

 weight by .">,-> per cent. 



When these seed were planted in soil containing 20 per cent moisture they pro- 

 duced in one month six times as much dry matter as a similar lot of unsoaked seed. 

 As most cultivated soils contain less than 20 per cent of water, the advantage of pre- 

 liminary soaking of the seed is apparent. However, the preliminary treatment of 

 the seed would make it more susceptible to attacks of fungi of various kinds, and 

 on this account the use of copper sulphate is resorted to to protect the seed. After 

 soaking the seed in copper sulphate they are usually covered with lime to prevent 

 further corrosive action. 



The authors have for 2 years experimented on treating various kinds of seed by 

 placing them in a solution containing from 1 to 5 parts per 1,000 of copper sulphate 

 in which is stirred while boiling 2 to '■'> per cent starch. After cooling the mixture, 

 4 to 5 times its weight of seed is placed in it, thoroughly mixed, and allowed to 

 remain for 20 hours, after which the seed are dusted with lime and spread to dry. 

 In this way every grain is covered by a mixture of starch, lime, and copper. 



The effect of the treatment on the production of a number of plants has been tested 

 in pot experiments, with the following results. 



