!8 JULIUS VALENTINE HOFMANN 



A study of the foregoing plates will show the nature' of the early 

 development of these species. The noticeable thing is that the species 

 which require the greatest amount of moisture are the ones in which the 

 seedlings are slow in establishing themselves. The natural result of this 

 is that these species are always found near the streams and on moist slopes. 

 Cedar requires about three years to establish its seedlings, while a sugar 

 pine or Douglas fir seedling is well established at the end of the first season. 

 Hemlock is another example of a species with a small seedling during the 

 first year, although it will produce a greater height growth than its asso- 

 ciates after the seedling is established, that is, after the third or fourth year. 

 It is clearly seen also that species which have large seeds establish their 

 seedlings early, enabling them to live in places unfavorable to smaller- 

 seeded species. 



VIABILITY OF SEED 

 SEEDS TREATED WITH CHEMICALS 



The following experiments for viability tests of the seed of Pinus 

 monticola showed that the seed will stand rigorous treatment and still 

 germinate. No attempt was made to duplicate conditions as they might 

 exist in the litter and duff on the forest floor, but rather to test out the 

 limit of endurance of the seed. 



Copper acetate. Five treatments were given varying in strength from 

 four ounces to thirty-two ounces of copper acetate per gallon of water in 

 which the seed was soaked for two hours. Germination was not affected 

 and gave the same results as the untreated plot. 



Six treatments with strengths varying from two to four ounces per 

 gallon of water in which the seed was soaked from twelve to twenty-four 

 hours showed no effect on the germination. Traces of, blue coloring in 

 the endosperm of all of the treated seed showed that the solution had 

 penetrated the seed-coats. This coloring was quite noticeable in the use 

 of the stronger treatments. Some of the more strongly treated plots 

 gave as good germination as those untreated, showing that the vitality of 

 the seed was unimpaired. The seedlings that came up were thrifty and 

 the root systems were well developed. 



Zinc chloride. Eight treatments were used varying in strength from 

 two ounces of zinc chloride to one gallon of water, up to sixty ounces of 

 zinc chloride to one gallon of water. Seed soaked for two hours showed 

 no effect on germination. 



Four treatments, from ^ to one ounce of zinc chloride to one gallon of 

 water applied to seed for thirty minutes, did not affect germination. 



Ten treatments, varying from one part of zinc chloride to fifty parts 

 of water by weight, up to one part zinc chloride to five hundred parts 

 water; and ten treatments, varying from one part zinc chloride to three 



