5o8 



Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. XXII. No. 9 



Various experiments with tree seed go to prove that storage at a 

 uniformly low temperature (o° to 32° F.) is preferable to that at higher 

 temperatures. It is easy to understand that at such low temperatures 

 there would be little if any physiological activity of the seed and con- 

 sequently little wasting of stored-up food and energy. Had the seed 

 in this study been stored at such low temperatures it is very probable 

 that it would have excelled in germination that stored at the other two 

 temperatures. In this study, however, the seed was stored in basemient 

 or cellar where the summer temperature was doubtless fairly high. 

 Moreover, as is usually the case in such locations, the atmospheric 

 humidity was also doubtless high. The conditions, in fact, during 

 summer were such as to be more conducive to physiological activity 

 than under the fluctuating or indoor conditions of storage. Hence, it 

 is reasonabe to suppose that there was more of such activity with the 

 consequent deterioration of the seed. The lesson to be learned from this 

 particular phase of the experiment is to avoid ordinary basements and 

 cellars for storing seed in unsealed containers, and that in northern 

 temperate climates storage indoors where the temperature never goes 

 below freezing is preferable to storage where the temperature follows 

 the natural variations. 



EFFECT OF GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION 



Ordinarily, the seed dealer will perhaps have to store any seed which 

 he possesses at his own establishment regardless of its location. It v^nll 

 be a matter of interest, however, to learn that some geographic locations 

 seem much more suited for the purpose than others. For seed in con- 

 tainers other than the sealed bottle, there was a very consistent superiority 

 shown in the germination of that stored in some locations and a very 

 consistent inferiority of that stored in others. Table III brings this out. 

 Note, for instance, the consistently high relative germination of seed 

 stored at Fort Bayard, Pikes Peak, Pocatello, and Lake Clear Junction; 

 on the other hand, note the relatively low germination of seed stored at 

 Dundee, Lawrence, New Haven, Warsaw, and Waukegan. These are 

 averages for all containers. Knowing, now, that seed in air-tight bottles 

 is not so much affected by adverse conditions as that in other containers, 

 it is believed, accordingly, that it should not be considered in determin- 

 ing the effect of the geographic location upon stored seed. The effect 

 is better shown by the behavior of seed stored in the cloth bags. Using 

 the averages shown in Tables IV to IX, it is found that the towns range 

 themselves in the following order: 



Town. 



Fort Bayard 



Pikes Peak 



Pocatello 



Lake Clear Junction 



Ithaca 



Halsey 



Ann Arbor 



State College 

 Waukegan. .. 

 New Haven . 

 Dundee .... 

 Lawrence . . . 

 Warsaw. . . . 



Average 

 gennina- 

 tion per- 

 centage for 

 all 4 years 

 of seed 

 stored in 

 cloth bags. 



23.0 

 20. 6 



18.3 



16. o 



13.2 



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