STORING OF SEEDS. 151 



whenever practicable, it should always to adopted in combination 

 with the ocular method. 



ARTICLE 4. 



STORAGE OF SEEDS. 



Some seeds cannot be preserved ; they must be sown at once. 

 Those kinds which ripen during the rains, such as sal, Q-uercus 

 semecarpifolia, Mesua ferrea, &c. cannot, from their nature, be 

 kept. The seed of the first two species, particularly the oak, often 

 germinates on the parent tree before being shed. Seeds which 

 contain a large quantity of oil are, as a 'rule, very difficult to pre- 

 serve, as the oil soon decomposes. As instances may be quoted 

 the various species of Bassia and Artocarpus, Cashew-nut, deodar,, 

 the pines, especially Pinus Gerard iana, &c. So also seeds con- 

 taining a large quantity of moisture and enclosed in a thin soft 

 shell generally keep badly, as, for instance, the various species of 

 Eugenia and elm, sandal, acorns, &c. Usually seeds retain their 

 vitality longer if allowed to remain in their fruit-coverings. Some 

 seeds keep for a number of years w r ith no further precaution than 

 merely protecting them from continuous damp ; of this class teak 

 is the most remarkable example. 



Steeping seeds in a solution of alkaline borates and silicates and 

 then drying them checks in many cases tb,eir germination, without 

 in any way injuring their vitality. 



In storing seeds they must be preserved against germination,, 

 fermentation and decomposition, excessive loss of moisture, fungi 

 and animals. To prevent germination it is sufficient to withhold 

 one of the three essential conditions for its occurrence, viz., heat, 

 oxygen and moisture. The simultaneous presence of these same 

 three factors is also necessary for fermentation and decomposition 

 and fungoid growth. Hence in keeping seeds it is sufficient to 

 protect them from (a) animals and from any one of the following 

 three influences : (b) damp, (c) heat and (d) air. 



A. Protection against Animals. 



The animals which attack stored seed are rats, mice, squirrel* 

 and insects. 



Rats, mice and squirrels can be easily kept out by putting the 

 seed into strong jars ; or into metal-lined boxes ; or into recep- 

 tacles placed on supports hung round with pods of the Mucuna. 

 prurita or fenced with close-set sharp spikes ^'barbed, if possible) 

 or with a smooth broad disk projecting out in every direction like 

 a quoit or bell. The supports in question may also be surrounded 



