638 UTILIZATION OF THE FRUITS OF FOREST TREES. 



germination proceed in seeds, the temperature must be kept 

 down, provided it does not descend much below freezing point, 

 so that by over-heating, seeds may not germinate or be killed. 

 Too much moisture involves danger from fungi and rot, 

 too much desiccation causes loss of the power of germina- 

 tion. Seeds also must be preserved against injuries of every 

 kind, by mice, insects, &c. 



The usual methods of storing seed will now be described : 



2. Storing in heaps in the Open Air. 



This method is applicable for beech-nuts, acorns, and chest- 

 nuts. A dry site near a forester's house, with loose, sandy 

 soil for choice, is cleared completely of all vegetable matter, 

 and the fruits are mixed with plenty of sand and placed in 

 heaps on the ground. The more delicate the fruit, the lower 

 the heaps. The heaps are covered with dead leaves or straw, 

 at first only moderately thick, and some bundles of straw are 

 stuck through the covering to afford ventilation. As the 

 weather becomes colder, earth may be thrown on the covering, 

 but it should be remembered always that seeds are less 

 sensitive to cold than to heat. At the close of winter the 

 covering should be removed gradually in the same way as it 

 was supplied, for it is extremely probable that the destruction 

 of seeds kept over winter is often due to delay in removing 

 their covering. 



3. Storing in Trenches. 



Acorns, beech-nuts, chestnuts and the fruits of ash and 

 hornbeam may be stored in trenches in the open air. The 

 trenches for acorns should be about half a meter (If feet) 

 deep, with vertical walls and in long rows ; beech-nuts are 

 placed in wider, but shallow, trenches not deeper than 30 

 centimeters (1 foot) ; ash, hornbeam and sycamore seed in 

 narrow trenches like drills ; these seeds should remain for 

 two winters in the trenches, and be sown only in the second 

 spring. When there is only a small quantity of slowly 

 germinating seed, such as nuts of the black walnut, it may be 

 mixed with sand in earthenware pots, which are placed in the 



