Nov. 26, 1921 



Storage of Coniferous Tree Seed 



509 



Fort Bayard stands out as an exceptionally favorable storage point, 

 and Pikes Peak, Pocatello, and Lake Clear Junction follow it rather 

 closely. On the other hand, New Haven, Dundee, Lawrence, Warsaw, 

 and Waukegan seem especially unsuited as locations for seed storage in 

 ordinary containers. There was not enough information collected in con- 

 nection with this study to show the reason why some points give so much 

 more favorable results than others. It seems probable that it is due to 

 some climatic factor or factors which in turn have their effect upon the 

 physiological activities of the seed. Fort Bayard, Pikes Peak, Pocatello, 

 and Lake Clear Junction are in high altitudes, and the first three places 

 at least experience conditions of low relative atmospheric humidity. 

 Waukegan, Dundee, Lawrence, and Warsaw are middle western loca- 

 tions of moderate altitude which experience severe temperature fluctua- 

 tions and higher relative humidity than the first three locations men- 

 tioned. During the summer when such changes would most affect seed 

 in storage. New Haven experiences higher relative hum.idities than the 

 middle western locations and severe climatic fluctuations are somewhat 

 less marked there. Regardless of the reason, the study indicates that 

 middle western points and perhaps Atlantic coast points should if possible 

 be avoided as locations for storing coniferous tree seed in ordinary 

 containers, especially for periods of several years. This conclusion for 

 Atlantic coast points may not be entirely warranted as it is based on 

 results at only one station. 



There is, however, comfort for those wishing to store seed in such 

 locations when the germination of bottle-stored seed is examined. Based 

 on the average germination percentage of such seed for all species and all 

 years, the towns line up in the following sequence : 



Towa. 



Dundee 



Fort Bayard 

 Waukegan . . 

 Pikes Peak. 



Ithaca 



Pocatello . . . 

 Halsey 



Average 

 germina- 

 tion per- 

 centage for 

 all 4 years 

 of seed 

 stored in 

 air-tight 

 bottles. 



Town. 



Lawrence 



Lake Clear Junction 



Ann Arbor 



New Haven 



State College 



Warsaw 



Average 

 germina- 

 tion per- 

 centage for 

 all 4 years 

 of seed 

 stored in 

 air-tight 

 bottles. 



This tabulation indicates, and it can be corroborated by inspection of 

 Tables IV to IX, that the bottle-stored seed in this study was not affected 

 by climatic conditions at the points of storage. Two of the points, 

 Dundee and Waukegan, which the study indicates were very unfavorable 

 storage points when ordinary methods of storage are followed, appear in 

 the case of bottle-stored seed to be among the most favorable locations. 

 Here again the lesson is obviously to use air-tight methods of seed storage. 

 The geographic location of the storage point will then be of little or no 

 consequence. 



