EDIBLE CANNA IN WAIMEA DISTRICT OF HAWAII 21 
was quite sound. This was probably due to the fact that after the 
bud has developed a stem of good size the seed becomes an integral 
part of the plant and possesses all the rot-resistant qualities of the 
undug rootstock. 
Rotting of the seed apparently does not injure the developing bud 
or the resulting plant when germination has not been unduly de- 
layed. A canna rootstock weighing 8 to 12 ounces contains much 
more plant food than is needed for bud development, and rot usually 
begins at the base of the seed at its juncture with the parent, which 
part is farthest from the bud. The younger portions of the root- 
stock are much less susceptible to rot than the older portions. Hence, 
a healthy bud usually has sufficient time and plant food to develop 
normally before rot can penetrate to the upper portions of the seed. 
A faulty bud as the result of which germination is unduly delayed 
Fig. 12.— Rotting of canna seed after two months in the ground. The seed was dug, cut in half, and 
exposed to the air for 15 minutes. A, Sound seed which had developed a number of stems; B, 
rotted seed — rot had penetrated throughout the parent seed, but had not entered the developing 
bud; C, partly rotted seed, showing the progress of rot upward from the base of the rootstock— 
note the worm infestation at the base 
will probably be found to be the cause of a stunted hill resulting 
from a rotted seed. Extreme conditions of moisture or drought 
facilitate decay. Seed which grows close to the surface of the ground 
or which is partly exposed is susceptible to rot. Fully 90 per cent 
of all the chemically treated and untreated lots of seed rotted to 
some extent in the soil which was kept excessively moist in the 
experiments for rot control. 
Results of experiments conducted at the station would seem to 
indicate that seed for planting should be selected from freshly dug 
rootstocks. It should then be place:! in bags for three or four days 
where a free circulation of air will heal the cut surfaces. The seed 
should always be carefully handled. Selection and bagging should 
be done in the field. The tender buds are very likely to be bruised 
when the seed is selected at the mill. 
