36 forestry Quarterly. 



The emptying out of the cones must be done quickly in order 

 that the cones, which close again upon cooling, (especially at their 

 base), may not hold fast the seeds. With this object the entrance 

 to the churn-room is invariably located near the exit from the 

 drying-kiln. 



The churn-room likewise is warmed by hot-air to yy° to 86° F. 

 (25° to 30° C), in order to keep all moisture away from the cones 

 and seed. In it a wooden box with a funnel-shapped bottom is 

 set up, about 39 inches (i m) above the floor, into which the 

 workman empties the drying-trays taken fresh from the drying- 

 kiln. By manipulating a slide door he lets the cones fall into a 

 churn. The latter consists of a cylinder with its sides constructed 

 of thin iron bars, of the same style as a sorter for cleaning grain. 

 They are known to all older seed-extracting establishments. By 

 the rotation of the churn the cones are shaken about, slowly 

 downward, while they give out their winged seeds. The winged 

 seeds fall through the bars upon the floor of the churn-room 

 which is rounded in the shape of a gutter lined with tin, and 

 drawn out into a funnel closed with a slide-door, which readily 

 conducts the collected seeds into the wing-removing room. 



The workmen must avoid entering the churn-room, even with 

 felt slippers, to sweep up the seed, in the manner hitherto prac- 

 ticed. The Scotch pine seed is easily crushed or compressed and 

 every such wound forms an infection point for fungi ; or else, as 

 in many other cases, the embryo instead of coming out normally 

 (with root tip foremost), comes out of the seed coat with the 

 cotyledons foremost, — a useless little plant. 



Germination tests show that every injured seed, commencing a 

 few hours after the injury, festers a mould distinctly visible to the 

 unaided eye after three or four days. Uninjured seeds do not ! 

 Numerous tests at the Eberswalde seed-house with seeds arti- 

 ficially torn or nicked have shown (sometimes in every case) 

 cotyledons breaking through first ("rump-born"). All these 

 seed are useless for sowing in plantations. 



The churn must have a diameter of about 31 inches (80 cm) 

 and a length of 16 feet (5 m) and be set up with a fall of 39 

 inches (i m) at the most (this can be regulated) ; it is revolved 

 rapidly (from the outer room). The empty cones, shaken around 

 in it, fall out of the end into a funnel-shaped trough which 

 empties into a shed from which the cones can be easily removed 



