7r,s 



}|ISK1N(; AND CLEANING C'ONIKEIIOIS .SEEDS. 



the cxit-luinu'l tlioroiii^'bly separates the wings, dust and worth- 

 less seed from the good seed. 



Another method for husking hirch seed is that of Ober- 

 forstcr Krumbelbein at Varel in Oldenburg. Cones plucked late 

 in the season from healthy larch trees, which have been subjected 

 to winter frost, are exposed to the sun's rays in bins covered 

 with wire frames ; seed is thus obtained from the upper part of 

 the cones. In order to open the hard, resinous base of the 

 cones they are submerged in water for 24 hours in covered 

 baskets and after exposure to the air are again placed in the sift- 

 ing bins. This process is repeated till all the seed has been 

 separated. It is, however, clear that this method, which gives 

 excellent results, can only be adopted on a small scale. 



Section III. — Net Yield of Seed. 



The net yield of seed obtained from a certain quantity of cones 

 depends on several circumstances. The system of husking 

 followed is most decisive in this respect ; then the condition of 

 the cones (whether harvested in autumn, mid-winter, or in dry, 

 spring weather, after some of the seeds have left the cones). The 

 size of the cones and the number of seeds they contain also 

 vary in different years, for in really good seed-years cones are 

 often smaller than usual and yet contain more than the usual 

 number of seeds. Lastly, the method employed for removing 

 the wings, and the comparative thoroughness with which this is 

 done, greatly afiects the yield. 



It is not, therefore, surprising that the yield of diflerent seed 

 establishments in diilerent years should vary considerably. The 

 following table gives the average weight of diflerent quantities of 

 <5ones and seed : — 



