after 10 days and a final report after 30 days. This meant a delay 

 of a month before it was safe to send out the seed to the nursery- 

 men. It was felt, however, that it would be an advantage, not 

 only to the trade, but also to the Seed-testing Institution itself, if 

 the experiments could be made as rapidly as possible. The Author, 

 therefore, met with every encouragement and co-operation when 

 he desired reports of the course of germination, according to a 

 definite scheme, after 5, 10, 20, 30, &c. days. From these reports it 

 was sought, not only to find out after what period the germina- 

 tion test on any given species might safely be brought to a close; 

 but also to enable the seed merchant to make the most rapid 

 determination possible of a sample of seed; as it is possible, in 

 the case of many species, with the help of the highest and lowest 

 figures in the tables, to determine, even after 5 10 days if the 

 final result will be good or bad. Many kinds of seed, particularly 

 from Japan, do not reach the hands of the European seed mer- 

 chants before March or April, when the spring distribution is in 

 full swing, and it greatly facilitates the work to know after a few 

 days that the germinating energy is so high that the good quality 

 of the seed is evident and that it may be safely sent out. 



Since, as far as is known to the Author, the State Seed-testing 

 Establishment in Copenhagen is the only one of its kind which 

 states the relative figures for germination according to a definite 

 scheme, no tables such as those here given have hitherto been 

 published. 



In dealing with the various genera and species, an opportunity 

 will arise of explaining these circumstances more fully, as the 

 worst and best results are in the tables placed side by side. 



Wherever germination results are mentioned in the text, deci- 

 mal fractions are rounded off, fractions of 0.5 and over counting 

 as 1.0 and those below 0.5 being neglected. 



Finally, the Author recognises that what is here set forth is 

 obviously far from being the last word on the subject; on the con- 

 trary, he sees very well that the knowledge hitherto gained and 

 the material that is here collected, only supply the foundation for 

 further work; the groundwork which was so entirely lacking when 

 he began. When he thinks of the possibility of determining by 

 means of the careful examination of the seed, whether the woods of 

 Spruce and Pine which are to be found in Danmark, where 



