192 
It appears to me, says Mr. Harrison, “ that the main cause of 
the failure of the shipments were the too close packing and hermeti- 
cally soldering of the packages. In the Singapore supplies the seeds 
were able to obtain a sufficiency of oxygen to retain their vitality, 
although, as was desired, their germination was retarded ; in the 
spoiled seed the . I quantity of oxygen was quickly absorbed by 
the seeds duri. g their incipient germination and the changes then 
continued' in the absence of free oxygen, the oxygen necessary for the 
production of the formic and acetic acids being obtained from the 
decomposition' possibly of some of the carbohydrates of the seeds. 
The presence of formaldehyde, hydrocyanic acid and formic acid 
show fairly conclusively that the changes which resulted in the 
destruction of the seed originated largely if not mainly in the gluco- 
sides of those commencing to germinate. " 
Hermetically soldered tins containing seeds, in the case of oily 
seeds like those of Para rubber, seems always to produce decomposi- 
tion, but fine thin seeds on the contrary are benefitted by it. Many 
years ago it was found that the only way of shipping Gambier seed 
to any distance was i hermetically sealed tins. Here the loss of 
water by drying in these very fine dust like seeds seems to have been 
prevented and the seeds being fine and loose retained about them 
enough oxygen probably to prevent any action of decomposition. 
Packing too close in the case of rubber seed is certainly a mistake 
We have leceived barrels of rubber seed from Malacca, a two davs* 
journey from the estate, in which, though the barrels were by no 
means hermetically sealed, the temperature on opening the barrels 
was as great that the hand could hardly be held in the seeds. The 
seeds in large quantities in the barrels were loose and had no packing 
at all. 
1 here seem to be two causes of the death of seeds when exported 
in packets or boxes, (r) drying up of the embryo, especially in fine 
seeds or seeds in which the embryo is insufficiently protected by the 
testa or albumen, as in palm seed, and 12 ) decomposition of the testa 
or 'albumen due to the absence of sufficient oxygen. 
To avoid both of these accidents is the real art of exporting seed 
The following paper from the Agricultural News has also an 
important hearing on the subject. Ed. 
THE GERMINATION OF HEVEA SEEDS. 
It has been found that the seed of Iievea brasiliensis, which has 
been imported from time to time for use in Grenada, has shown very 
unsatisfactory germinating power, and in view of the cost of the seed 
it was considered expedient by Mr. G. G. Auchinleck, B. Sc., Superin- 
tendent of Agriculture, to make observations on seeds grown locally, 
for the purpose of deciding as to what the low percentage of germina- 
