FOREST TREE SEED AND SEED COLLECTING 165 



facilitate drying. If to the latter, they are shoveled into six 

 wooden measures which hold just the proper quantity to fill the 

 cylinders. They are then shot down (like oats from a feed loft) 

 into the cylinders (e, e'} which after closing the six doors revolve 

 slowly clock-wise in a masonry chamber heated to an average of 

 48 C. (118 F.). The cylinder is made of cast iron, perforated so 

 as to allow the seeds to drop out but forcing the cones to remain. 

 Each is divided into three compartments, containing 5 hectoliters 

 (13f bushels) for the entire six compartments. 



"The heat is furnished from the grate (/) where coal and cones 

 are burned chiefly the former because of the excellent price 

 received for dry cones as fuel where a hot, quick fire is needed or 

 as kindling for household purposes. In order that the heat in 

 the cylinders may be absolutely uniform, a thermohydrograph 

 automatically records the fluctuations in heat and moisture con- 

 tent, just as a barograph records barometric variations. These 

 sheets are kept as a permanent record of each day's operations. 



"It requires from 20 to 24 hours to 'dry' green cones, and from 

 7 to 9 hours for cured cones. The seed released fiom the cones sifts 

 through the perforations of the cylinder and falls down the chute 

 into the bags suspended at (h). When all the seeds are out, the 

 engine is stopped and the door of each compartment opened. 

 Then the engine is started again and the empty cones auto- 

 matically drop down the adjustable chute (j) into the bins (k) 

 whence they are loaded directly by elevators into cars on side- 

 tracks (a, a'). 



"The bags of seed from (h) are taken to the winging machine. 

 This is a smaller fine wire mesh cylinder with revolving stiff 

 brushes inside. These brushes remove the wings without harm 

 to the seed. From the cylinder the good seeds drop to the final 

 cleaning screens while the wings, dust, and lighter blind seed are 

 blown off by means of forced draught. 



"After the wings are removed, the seed is screened twice and 

 then placed in large glass carboys. No attempt is made to secure 

 every last particle of foreign matter such as broken cone scales, 

 but the seed is very clean. The glass carboys, each containing 

 from 30 to 35 kilograms (66 to 77 Ibs. avoirdupois), have been 

 adopted as more satisfactory than any metal device. They are 

 packed in willow baskets with straw padding; each basket has 

 two handles. Basket, carboy, and all cost about 50 cents apiece. 



