Aug. IS. 1919 Effect of Removing Pulp from Camphor Seed 237 



SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 



In the season of 191 6-1 7 camphor seeds were planted under various 

 conditions. The experiment was repeated in the season of 1917-18, and 

 commercial conditions were closely approximated. 



Removing the pulp from the seed was found to hasten germination by 

 an average of two weeks; it also gave an increase in germination of 

 approximately 525 per cent over that of unpulped seed. 



Drying the seed with artificial heat at 55° C. destroyed all vitality. 



Soaking the seed in water apparently did not hasten germination; 

 neither did it increase the percentage of seed that germinated. 



Soaking the seed in sulphuric acid of 5 per cent by weight destroyed 

 all vitality. 



Allowing the seed to ferment and the pulp to decompose in a closed 

 vessel destroyed all vitality. 



Seed picked up from the ground showed less vitality than those 

 picked from the tree, but removal of the pulp increased and hastened 

 germination. 



A freeze on three successive nights, during which the temperature 

 fell to 26° F., did not destroy the vitality of all the seed; it did, however, 

 impair the vitality and reduce the number of seeds that germinated by 

 approximately 50 per cent. 



Seeds planted early in the winter required a longer time to germinate 

 than those planted in midwinter. The former averaged more sturdy 

 trees. 



When the pulp was removed and the germination of the seed thus 

 hastened, a larger and more sturdy seedling tree was obtained for trans- 

 planting than when the pulp was not removed. The increase in the 

 number of seedlings of transplanting size secured by pulping the seed 

 amounted approximately to 600 per cent. 



From a commercial point of view, removal of the pulp is desirable 

 even though the labor must all be done by hand. The increased germi- 

 nation and the well -developed trees that result will repay many times 

 the cost of the labor involved. 



It is believed that in commercial plantings the removal of the pulp 

 from the seeds will increase the percentage of germination by at least 

 200 per cent, thus producing 40,000 more seedling trees to each acre of 

 seed bed. This estimate is believed to be very conservative, and even a 

 much greater increase may be expected. 



