434 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [UNE 
In no case does the maximum germination of seeds of a given kind 
from dry storage equal that of seeds of the same kind from cold 
wet storage. The effect of the cold wet storage is most noticeable 
in the cases of Pinus Strobus and Cupressus macrocarpa, where 
increases of 32 per cent and 31 per cent respectively were obtained. 
For all of the seeds here reported on, except those of Pinus Strobus, 
dry storage seemed to cause a decrease in viability. This can be 
seen from the first four columns of the table. Tests of Pinus 
Strobus were run for 60 days, the other three for 30 days. 
TABLE V 
GERMINATION OF SEEDS OF CONIFERS AFTER SOAKING IN WEAK ACID AND 
STORAGE AT 3-5 
Acip (HCl) WATER 
Soaked Injected 
KIND OF — AND LENGTH OF! Con- 
TIME IN COLD STORAGE TROL : 
8 2 ° s 9 Soaked [Injected 
° co) S col ¢ 
° o : Sy : 
a2) Se ps 
¥ = = = 
Pinus sonia 
ne day 
16 ae 6 iy ae Ble MEME 62 tie 
No cold storage......... 40-1; = Be ae ? ae : Bae Pere ores Beery: 50 68 
Pinus austriaca— 
3 avi Sa ne See lat ain cola 645 eae oleae, arse Gon pees 
i prt eneei Eg SEES BPN aay GUN cee ABT oe Pe heel Ee Be de es 59° [ies 
Moda ei oe eee we. uh Daa Sapcreae 50 cals ee re ee 
No cold d storage Poe od, 59 [cr Tele Pa aan Race Boros pepe Case erie Ve a 
The series of experiments shown in Table V was planned to 
determine whether delay in germination is due to an alkaline or 
neutral reaction of the embryo. It was thought that if such is the 
case, weak acid solutions would change the reaction sufficiently 
to cause growth to begin, when the seeds were placed in the proper 
conditions. 
The results obtained for Pinus Strobus do not, however, bear 
out this theory. Seeds injected with distilled water gave 18 per 
cent better germination than those merely soaked in it, and slightly 
better than those injected with weak hydrochloric acid. It seems 
likely from this that delay is due merely to lack of water. When 
