298 



moist enough, the seeds will absorb all the water and perish. A tin 

 box, 8x4x4, will hold about 200 seeds if packed as follows : 

 place a layer of earth and charcoal about § inch deep on the bottom 

 of the tin box, and lay the seeds in rows, leaving a little space be- 

 tween each. Spread another layer of the charcoal and earth, then 

 another layer of rows of seeds, and so on until the box is full. 

 Packing a slip of material across when the lid tits will help to keep 

 the moisture in. When wetting the charcoal and earth it is a wise 

 precaution to do it twelve hours before being wanted, as this gives 

 the water time to permeate the whole mass evenly." 



Application was therefore made to Sir Daniel Morris, Imperial 

 Commissioner of Agriculture in the West Indies, for a small con- 

 signment of seeds to be prepared and packed as recommended 

 above, and he gave instructions to Mr. A. Brooks at Dominica to 

 forward 100 seeds as desired. They arrived by parcel post on 

 January 31st last, apparently in good condition, every one of them 

 having germinated on the way. They were planted in pots and 

 placed in a tropical pit, where in a few days a fungus disease 

 developed on the cotyledons and destroyed all except six of the 

 plants. Mr. Massee finds the disease to be due to a new species of 

 Ramularia (JR. Necator, Massee, K.B. for 1907, p. 243), which 

 must have been either on the seeds or in the packing material 

 before they left Dominica. This was an unfortunate mishap as the 

 method of packing itself was a success. 



A second supply of seeds, packed as prescribed above, was 

 received from Sir Daniel Morris on May 14th. They also arrived in 

 good condition, all of them having germinated, but some of them 

 showed unmistakable evidence of the presence of the same 

 fungus, whose West Indian origin is undoubted, as its presence was 

 noted in the two different consignments of seeds immediately 

 atter their arrival. Owing to its presence Mr. Massee prepared 

 two solutions of formalin of different strengths and in these some 

 ol the seeds were soaked before they were sown. The result was 

 as follows : — 



10 germinating seeds soaked for half an hour in a 1 per 

 cent, solution of formalin : 4 grew, 6 failed. 



W germinating seeds soaked for one hour in a 1 per cent, 

 solution of formalin : 3 grew, 7 failed. 



5 germinating seeds dipped in a 4 per cent, solution of 

 formalin : all failed. 



7o germinating seeds planted as received : 54 grew, 21 failed. 



a.i * ,? utcome of thi s packing experiment is that seeds of Cacao 

 ™' CT a ^ d » and P ack<? d as above described, can be sent 



t£T J 75Z St Indies t0 En gland and probably much farther, and 

 that about 70 per cent, of them are likely to produce healthy plants. 



niU ™r!" n F, this . estimate > ^e 25 seeds treated with formalin 

 snhLr° t en mt0 acc o<mt, ^r the experimental use of this 

 Sn»7 n S( aS Was t0 be anticipated, that when used as a 

 iniur£ lls T? Ca( l- Seeds U is not only ineffective but actually 

 22SL Tbe ob J e <* to be attained was, in this case, the 

 imSJSnnaf / para8ltic fungus present in the cotyledons. The 



Xr In W Ttt P rev ! nted ^e action of the fungicide, whereas the 

 latter injured the tender root. 



