■408 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



year, germinating 7 per cent., and was accordingly considerably 

 better than the so-called new-crop seed with which the Japanese 

 supplied us last spring. 



Chamcecyparis pisifera, received from Japan in the spring of 

 1900, germinated then 10-67 per cent., and what remained was 

 tested last spring but failed to germinate at all. This makes it 

 clear that when we receive from Japan seed that fails to ger- 

 minate, it must have been kept over some years before it was 

 shipped to Europe. 



The Japanese must certainly learn that this will not do, and 

 by and by they must make improvements in this respect. For 

 who but the exporter has got to bear the cost of these failures 1 

 In the long run the European seedsmen cannot be expected to 

 do so ; the nurserymen will certainly decline to do it, and the 

 Japanese seedsmen, who have got to pay for the collecting of the 

 cones, will finally have to bear the loss until they can supply 

 better seed. 



The rapidity with which the seed of the different species lo3e 

 their germinative power is very different. The small-grained 

 Picea ajanensis, which in the season 1899-1900 germinated 52 

 per cent., has, as appears from the Table, gone down to 9 per 

 cent.; while the hard and coarse-grained seed of Picea polita, 

 which in 1899-1900 germinated about 59 per cent., has, in the 

 course of a year, only gone down to 22 per cent. 



This year, however, I specially wish to draw attention to the. 

 very great difference in the germinative capacity of the different 

 American species, as this is of very great importance for judging 

 of the value of the seed. 



The following four species are taken from the list — 



