28 Forestry Quarterly. 



following months, harvested in sunny weather, stored dry, and 

 transported in dry weather and then placed in the shed, give little 

 trouble as a rule in storage, so that they can even be kiln-dried 

 safely during the following summer if they have been purchased 

 so abundantly as to make this necessary. 



But even if the drying-kiln should first begin to handle the 

 cones in January, and Vi^anted, if possible, to take only dry ones, 

 it could get cones (at advanced prices) gathered in November 

 when there was no snow (consequently harvested more easily) 

 which v/ere suitably stored somewhere until removed to the 

 seed-extracting house ; rainy weather and snow during their 

 transportation and unloading from the railroad are more fre- 

 quent than desirable. Often the cones mould in the large bins, 

 sticking fast to one another, and must be continually worked over, 

 and suffer even then. Cones collected in February open, accord- 

 ing to experience, more easily than those gathered early; the 

 constant changes of sunny warmth, of cold, and of dry wind 

 ripen up the cones on the tree ; cones properly handled in late 

 winter can be opened with increasing ease in the summer. 



Upon this basis, I recommend a cone-shed of light, open rafters, 

 with flat roof and a central passage, the roof of which is raised 

 at the sides about 20 inches (^ m), and provided with slat- 

 shutters. The elevation of that part of the roof over the cen- 

 tral passage, and having the sides formed of slat-shutters is 

 necessary since experience in old roofed sheds with closed roofs 

 shows that the topmost layers of cones in the bins are made moist 

 by sweating on account of the lack of circulating air; the upper 

 cones retain after several months storage 4.4 pounds (2 kg) of 

 water to 220 pounds (100 kg) of weight more than those which 

 are stored compactly pressed together, apparently more unfa- 

 vorably, in the middle of the large bin. 



The floor of the whole shed should be made of asphalt or ce- 

 ment; the former is better protection against ground moisture. 

 It must be raised about 20 inches (^ m) above the outside 

 ground, and as a safeguard against the entrance of rodents, etc., 

 should be protected by a surrounding ditch about 20 inches 

 (50 cm) deep plastered and cemented on the inner side, or in 

 some other suitable manner. Also the doors of the central pas- 

 sage should be made tight against rodents, to a height of 20 

 inches (.50 m), but for the rest with movable slat-shutters to 



