118 SYLVICULTURE IN THE TROPICS n .n 



seed-pods. In the case of very light seed it is advisable 

 to select a place sheltered from the wind. This method 

 may be employed with most of the Leguminosae, the 

 Bignoniaceae, the Asclepiadeae, several species of the 

 Apocynaceae, Meliaceae, Malvaceae, etc. 



Pulpy fruit can be collected in heaps, and when the 

 pulp begins to rot it can be washed off in tubs of 

 water. Winged fruit and winged seed are often 

 delicate and cannot stand rough treatment, but where 

 the wings are large and take up a lot of room, as e.g. 

 in the case of the fruit of Dipterocarpus, these wings 

 may be cut off. 



In the case of oily or moist seed, it should be spread 

 out in an airy and sunny place, and turned over with 

 a rake twice or three times daily. This should be 

 continued as long as is required, the duration of the 

 treatment and the number of times the raking is applied 

 daily depending on the kind of seed, the dryness of the 

 atmosphere, and the temperature of the air. 



Before spending time and labour in storing and 

 sowing seed, it is advisable to thoroughly test it, and 

 if a considerable percentage turns out to be barren or 

 unsound, to reject it. A preliminary examination 

 having already been made, a certain number of seed 

 should be examined more carefully ; this is done not 

 only in examining the outside, but also by cutting a 

 number open and examining the inside for traces of 

 fermentation or attacks by fungi or insects. The 

 plumule should be sound and the colour healthy, and no 

 unpleasant smell of rancid oil should be emitted. If this 

 examination turns out satisfactory, and a fair percentage 

 appears to be healthy, it may be desirable, especially in the 

 case of small seed, which is not always easy to examine, 

 to find out what percentage of the seed will germinate. 



This germination test can be carried on in various 

 ways, the simplest of which is in sowing a known 

 number of seeds in garden beds, or in pots containing 

 either ordinary soil or sawdust or charcoal, and seeing 

 how many germinate. 



