COLLECTION AND TREATMENT OF SEEDS. 69 



germinate. For this purpose the forest planter should 

 apply one of the many well-known modes of testing the 

 germinating power of the seeds, and act accordingly. 

 Seeds which show in the test that 70 per cent, of them 

 sprout, are called good, whereas those which contain only 

 from 50 to 60 per cent, kernels of germinating power, are 

 called fair. Seeds which show vitality only in less than 

 50 per cent, should be rejected, if offered by the trade. 



(a) SEEDS OF DECIDUOUS TREES. 



The seeds of deciduous trees are easily collected. 

 Most of them ripen in autumn, but a few, as Elms, Pop- 

 lars, and kindred trees, some species of the Maple (soft 

 Maple) produce mature seeds early in the summer, while 

 seeds of Birch, Mulberry, and like kinds, ripen later in 

 the summer. 



The seeds should be sown as soon as they fall from the 

 tree, because they do not keep well over till next spring. 

 But if it is desirable to preserve them for later use they 

 should be treated in the following way : 



After the seeds have been collected they are subject to 

 what is called "sweating." The seeds, or fruits, are for 

 some time (about 8 days) gathered in a heap, and when 

 signs of heating appear they are spread and dried till 

 they become completely siccated. In order to accelerate 

 this condition, the room in which the process of drying 

 is carried on may be heated up to 90 degrees, provided 

 care is taken for an abundant circulation of fresh air. 



Cleaning of the seeds, and removing the different 

 covers in which they are imbedded require special atten- 

 tion. A bag half filled with those seeds that are 

 enclosed in dry shells, pods, or hulls, is beaten with a 

 stick, and then the seeds are winnowed. Small quanti- 

 ties may be cleaned by hand. 



Seeds having a fleshy and succulent cover must first be 



