EXPERIMENTS WITH TREE SEEDS. 133 
X. Experiments with Tree Seeds. By WittiAM SoMERVILLE, 
D.C&c., D.Sc., F.R.S.E., F.L.S., Professor of Agriculture and 
Forestry, Durham College of Science, Newcastle-on-Tyne. 
In the spring and autumn of 1893, and in the spring of 1894, 
I took the opportunity of arranging a number of experiments 
with tree seeds. Some of these experiments have been quite 
successful, and have given interesting and useful results, while 
others have failed for various reasons, but chiefly owing to the 
unusually severe frost of the 20th and 21st of May 1894, which 
killed such large numbers of the young seedlings of certain species 
(e.g., Spanish Chestnut, Sycamore, Norway Maple) as to make it 
undesirable to record the results in this paper. The experiments 
with Birch and Alder were also a failure, owing to the unsatis- 
factory way in which the seeds germinated ; and as I have since 
had occasion to be dissatisfied with the results of birch-seeding— 
which has also given trouble to other propagators—it would be 
useful to the Society if some member gave an account of a method 
of dealing with this seed that has proved successful. 
How DEEP MAY SPRUCE SEEDS BE COVERED ? 
During the second week of May 1893, nine plots or beds were 
laid down in duplicate, and were at once sowed with the seed 
of the Norway spruce. Each plot measured 34 square feet, and 
received 14 ounce of seed. By means of a suitable series of wooden 
frames, the seed was buried exactly to the depth indicated, the soil 
used for the purpose being a fairly strong loam, In the spring 
of 1894 the plants were lifted and counted, with the following 
result :— 
| Depth of Number of Trees produced. 
Plots. Covering of 
sia oo “A” Series. | “B” Series, ToraL. 
Inches. 
1 0 14 11 25 
2 4 558 | 484 992 
3 4 308 325 633 
4 2 78 | 166 244 
5 1 50 95 145 
6 14 26 | 33 | 59 
fh 1$ 1 | 4 5 
8 12 0 0 0 
9 2 0 0 0 
