EXPERIMENTS ON STORAGE OF SEEDS. I43 



seeds especially rich in stored food and with thin outer coats 

 are very sensitive to a low moisture percentage (Nos. 2b, 2c, 3^), 

 such as Quercus Cerris, Aesculus Hipp ocas tanum. Thick-shelled 

 nuts like those oi Juglans nigra survive such methods of storing, 

 although with a great loss of germination percentage. An 

 exception difficult to understand is seen in the case of 

 Fagiis silvatica, but I suspect an experimental error, so the 

 experiment is being repeated. If we examine the results 

 obtained by A. Cieslar with the storage of acorns, keeping in 

 mind the place of storage and the controlling factors, we find 

 that a low temperature and a high moisture percentage, such 

 as is found at the soil surface covered with moss, on the soil 

 surface mixed with sand and covered, in pits mixed with sand 

 or earth, in spring water, on the surface of the ground covered 

 with dry needles, preserves the germination percentage best, 

 while the temperature and the moisture conditions in a dry 

 cellar or even in a heated room have an injurious influence on 

 the power of germination. 



Storage in air-tight vessels, in the case of coniferous seed such 

 as Scots pine, Austrian pine, and spruce, has the best influence 

 on the retention of vitality and power of germination. 



Haack has shown conclusively, in a work published in 1909, 

 that storage in air-tight vessels together with low temperature 

 gives the best results in the case of Scots pine seed. This can 

 be explained by the fact that the respiration and transpiration 

 of the seed are reduced, owing to the low temperature, and 

 desiccation is also prevented by the absence of air currents. 

 The storage of seed in air-tight vessels in an ice cellar gives, 

 according to Haack, the best results. 



Low temperatures and high air or soil humidity are factors 

 which act favourably in natural and artificial storage. The 

 influence of these in reducing or preventing respiration and 

 transpiration must be regarded as the most important con- 

 sideration in the storage of seed. 



