6 Department Circular 323, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 



it sufficiently for all practical purposes. It is best in all cases to 

 moisten the dust several hours or several clays before it is to be used. 

 Freshly moistened dust is never so good as that which has stood for 

 24 to 48 hours. With fresh, clean seeds at hand the coir dust should 

 be sj^read over the bottom of the box to a depth of half to three- 

 fourths of an inch. A layer of seed may then be placed on top of 

 the j^acking material and another layer of dust added. This process 

 should be continued until the box is filled. The top layer of coir 

 dust should be rather thick. It is important that the seeds should 

 not come in contact with each other. Good packing requires about 

 twice as much material by volume as there are seeds. When the 

 box is sufficienth^ packed it should be shaken carefully, in order to 

 have the packing material fill up all the spaces. Fasten the lid of 

 the box firmly, wraj) in two or three thicknesses of oiled paper, then 

 strong manila paper: then sew on a cloth covering, as described for 

 other seeds. Follow the same plan of labeling as suggested elsewliere. 



Another method of j^acking mangosteen seed should also be fol- 

 lowed in order to make certain of successful sliipment. By this 

 method the seed is jDregerminated ; that is. it is made to sprout 

 slightly before packing. It has often been observed that mangosteen 

 seeds arriving from the Orient are slightly sprouted. In such cases 

 fermentation and molds have not attacked the seeds. This suggested 

 the idea of allowing the seeds to sprout slightly before packing. 

 Freshly gathered seeds may be placed in coir clust, coconut fiber, or 

 other suitable material for sprouting, and upon the first appearance 

 of sprouts, which under normal conditions will be in 15 to 20 days, 

 the seeds should be carefully lifted and packed as described above. 

 Packed sprouted seeds grow very little as long as they are in tight 

 boxes, but when removed from the boxes and placed in soil or other 

 suitable material they grow quite rapidly. 



Mango seeds need careful handling. They are covered with a 

 fibrous coat to which the flesh of the fruit clings tenaciously. The 

 seeds should be scraped clean and then washed. After drying in the 

 shade they should be packed in dry charcoal or diT coir dust, about 

 as described for the mangosteen. 



Avocado seeds may be packed in cut-up straw, fine shavings, saw- 

 dust, rice hulls, or grain chaff. Large lots, if going forwarcl by ex- 

 press, may be packed in wooden boxes, using ordinaiy straw or ex- 

 celsior for packing material. The chief point to observe in packing 

 these seeds is to fill in sufficient |:>acking material to prevent bruising 

 and drying out. Label and mark as described for other seeds. 



CITRUS-PLANT MATERIAL 



Extra precautions must be followed in the handling and shipping 

 of citrus seeds and other citrus-plant material. The disease known 

 as citrus canker must always be kept in mind, and for this reason 

 such material should always be packed alone and never combined in 

 the same package with other plants or seeds. Citrus seeds, scions, 

 and other propagating parts are subject to rigid inspection and quar- 

 antine: hence the importance of separate packing, handling, and 

 marking. Citrus seeds deteriorate rapidly when exposed to the air. 

 If taken fresh and not allowed to dry out, then packed immediately 



