26 



REFORESTATION ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS. 



Since the experiments were planned to cover a period of five years, 

 12 sets of samples were sent to the storage points, of which 4 samples 

 would be placed under each condition of temperature indicated. At 

 the end of one, two. and five years one container of seed stored under 

 each condition of temperature, or three containers in all, were to be 

 shipped to Washington in order that germination tests might be 

 made. One set of containers was sent in during the year of 1909-10, 

 and the tests were made. The results obtained are, in all probability, 

 fairly conclusive for seed stored for one year in the manner indicated 

 in Table 7. 



TABLE 7. Germination per cent of seed stored under different temperatures. 



A glance at the table shows that for all species the average germi- 

 nation is greater for seed stored in bottles than for that stored in any 

 other container. If each species is considered separately it will be 

 seen that with Pseudotsuga taxifolia germination of seed stored in 

 the bottle exceeded that stored in any other container by from 15 to 

 30 per cent; with Pinus strobus, by from 9 to 21 per cent; and with 

 Picea engelmanni, by from 13 to 27 per cent. In the case of the 

 three other species the difference is in no way marked. The germi- 

 nation of Pinus ponderosa seed stored in bottles averages only 3 per 

 cent more than that stored in the paraffined envelopes; and that of 

 Pinus monticola only 5 per cent more; while the seed of Pinus con- 

 torta averages 1 per cent less than that stored in the paraffined 

 envelopes. The uniformly high rate of germination shown by all 

 seeds stored in bottles in the three temperatures, however, makes this 

 method of storage seem in general the most desirable one. 



