14 BULLETIN 475, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



of this type may be made to " take down," so that they can readily 

 be transported from place to place in the woods. 



SEED CLEANING. 



After the seed is separated from the cones there is still mixed with 

 it a good deal of foreign matter, such as small twigs, pieces of cone 

 scales, and membranous wings. Much of this foreign material can 

 be screened out, but to loosen the wings from the seed requires fur- 

 ther treatment. Removal of the wings may decrease the germinative 

 power of seed to a small extent, but so greatly increases the ease with 

 which they can be handled that the practice is almost universal. 



Wing Removing. 



One of the oldest and commonest methods of removing wings is 

 to Work the seed over in seamless sacks, the mouths of which are 

 securely tied. The wings are more readily removed from pine seed, 

 to which this method is particularly applicable, if the seed are 

 slightly moistened with cold water. This may be done by putting 

 the seed in a box, adding a little cold water, and stirring. The en- 

 tire wing may be readily detached from the seed of all the pines 

 except longleaf ; but the wings on the seed of other species form part 

 of the seed coat and can be removed only by actually breaking them 

 off, so that moistening the seed is of doubtful value. The sacks are 

 beaten with light flails, usually of leather, or kneaded with the 

 hands and knees. Sometimes the sacks are tramped under foot for 

 a few moments, but this impairs the quality of the seed. 



Another process is to pile the seed 6 or 8 inches deep on a cement 

 or plank floor, sprinkle it lightly with water, and then beat it ener- 

 getically with leather flails. The wings can often be removed com- 

 pletely with the use of very little water. The wings of pine seed 

 may be removed by moistening them slightly and then churning the 

 mass in a cylindrical drum. 



Whenever a wet process is used the seed must be dried immedi- 

 ately, so that its vitality will not be impaired. The relative merit 

 of dry and wet processes depends partly upon whether the seed is 

 to be stored for some time or used within a few months. In the 

 latter case a wet process is ordinarily safe. If the seeds are to be 

 stored for a year or more, a dry process should be used. 



Another method of removing wings is to churn the seed, together 

 with a number (if small wooden blocks, in a box or barrel mounted 

 on an axle so as to be rotated; or the box may be kept stationary 

 and friction applied by rotating brooms nailed to a spindle running 

 through the center. In the latter case, if the box is tilted at a slight 



