Nov. a6, t9it Storage of Coniferous Tree Seed 493 



These curves are interesting. They emphasize more than ever the 

 superiority of air-tight storage over any of the other methods. It will 

 be recalled that, judged by final germination percentage only (Table I), 

 the quality of lodgepole and western yellow pine seed stored in paraffined 

 paper bags was at the end of one year practically equal to that of seed 

 stored in the bottles. The curves adequately dispel this idea of equality. 

 The bottle-stored seed of western yellow pine and lodgepole pine excels 

 that in paraffined paper bags by 1 1 and 4 per cent, respectively. Further- 

 more, at the end of five years the bottle-stored seed of all species except 

 western yellow pine is practically equal or superior to that stored for only 

 one year in cloth bags, and the bottle-stored seed of western yellow pine 

 is superior to that stored for two years in any of the other containers. 

 Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, and lodgepole pine seed stored in bottles, 

 western yellow pine in oiled cloth bags, lodgepole pine in cloth and oiled 

 cloth bags, and western white pine in paper and paraffined paper bags 

 show some appreciation in quality at the end of the second year over that 

 at the end of the first ; there is in general a marked and fairly uniform de- 

 terioration of seed for a 3-year period, after which it is less rapid ; the pre- 

 viously expressed relative merits of the various containers is confirmed — 

 that is, in the order of their merit they should be ranged in the sequence 

 of air-tight bottle, paper bag paraffined, paper bag, cloth bag, and oiled 

 cloth bag. The oiled cloth bag is so inferior that it should receive no 

 consideration at all for seed storage purposes. 



EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE 



Of the three conditions of temperature under which the seed was 

 stored. Table I clearly indicates that the highest average germination 

 percentages were secured with that stored at the indoor temperature, 

 followed in order by the fluctuating and low temperatures. The differ- 

 ences in the average germination percentage for the indoor and fluctuating 

 temperatures is only 1.8 per cent, but the superiority of indoor tempera- 

 ture conditions over those in an ordinary basement or cellar is indicated 

 by an average excess germination of 6 per cent. This general superiority, 

 it will be noted from the table, is consistent with all of the species in- 

 volved. Here again, however, the superiority of air-tight storage is evi- 

 denced by the fact that the seed stored in bottles at the low temperature 

 shows no inferiority but in fact a slight superiority (0.3 and 0.4 per cent) 

 over that stored under indoor and fluctuating temperature conditions. 



Leaving the general averages in Table I and analyzing the results in 

 Tables IV to IX, it will be noted that the superiority of seed stored at 

 the indoor over that stored at the fluctuating and low temperatures seems 

 to vary with the species about as follows: Engelmann spruce, Douglas 

 fir, western yellow pine, western white pine, eastern white pine, and 

 lodgepole pine. It will be noted that the two species, Engelmann spruce 

 and Douglas fir, most susceptible to deterioration in storage were the 

 most favorably affected by storage at the indoor temperature. The 

 better results from storing at the indoor temperature was most marked 

 at Halsey, New Haven, Lawrence, and Ann Arbor. Poor germination 

 resulting from storage at low temperature was most pronounced at New 

 Haven, Pikes Peak, Pocatello, Waukegan, Halsey, and State College. 



