55S STOIUNC Kill ITS AM) SEEDS OF FuUKsT TREES 



forester becomes to a certain extent independent of the occur- 

 rence of seed-years. 



Germination depends on the admission of a certain amount 

 of heat, oxy^a-n and moisture to the seed. In storin<( fruits 

 and seeds it is necessary to preserve the germinative power 

 so that the seed will not <ferminate during winter ; hence 

 the state of suspended vitality in the seed must be pro- 

 longed, while the germinative power is I'ully preserved. All 

 fruits and seeds, however, under similar conditions do not 

 retain their germinative power for the same length of time. 

 In general, seeds with an embryo or albumen rich in starch do 

 not preserve their germinative power so well as those which 

 contain much oil or turpentine. For under their closed 

 husks, provided water is excluded, oxidation of oil is much 

 slower than conversion of starch into gum, dextrin and 

 sugar. 



Germinative power is quickly lost in acorns,* chestnuts and 

 beech-nuts, so that these fruits very rarely can be kept for more 

 than one w^inter. The same rule applies to seeds of birch, elms, 

 silver-fir and aider, Avhich soon become mouldy unless very care- 

 fully stored. Sctd of ash, hornbeam, lime and Cembran pine, 

 most of which germinates only in the second spring, can be easily 

 stored. [In the case of Wey mouth-pine also, much seed does 

 not germinate till the second spring. — Tr.]. Lime-seed can be 

 kept good for 2 or 3 years, but owing to the abundance of seed 

 produced almost every year there is no necessity to store it. 

 Germinative power is longest preserved in the seed of larch, 

 Scotch pine and spruce, and experience has shown that if 

 carefully stored, laich-seed may preserve its germinative power 

 2 — 3 years ; Scotch pine seed 3 — 4 years, and spruce-seed 4 — 

 years. 



Over-heating is the chief (huigt'r in storing seed, as when kept 

 in heaps with even the very moderate amount of moisture which 

 is always present, the seed bcccmies easily heated. If, however, 

 seed is over-dried, it loses much germinative power, which is 

 certainly not desirable: over-dried seed when sown germinates 

 very slowly aii<l tVciiiniitlv rots in the ground, seedlings also 

 which have sprung lioiii it may not be sufficiently lignified to with- 



* More ijuickly in sessile than iK-ilunculate acorns. 



