Feb. 1,1925 Sowing and Planting Season for Western Yellow Pine 247 
Both of these tests were observed in 
connection with a companion series sown 
on different dates the previous fall. In 
each case of spring sowing the germina¬ 
tion was slow in starting, the bulk of it 
being in June and July and running 
through August, while the fall sowings 
all germinated promptly. The latter 
were most active in April and May and 
were complete by the end of June. 
Seeds which ' do not germinate 
promptly in the spring, as fall and late 
spring sowings of western yellow pine, 
result in inferior plants. This has been 
observed both in sowing at the nursery 
and in direct seeding trials on planting 
sites. When germination takes place 
from the latter part of July to the end 
of the season, seedlings take on a char¬ 
acteristic abnormal appearance. At 
the end of the second season in the seed 
bed they have no fascicles of needles in 
twos and threes, or only one or two 
benches of them. The second season’s 
growth bears pale green straplike leaves, 
and the bud lacks the strong mature 
appearance it has in earlier-sowed plants. 
These inferior plants remain far behind 
the earlier individuals in development, 
and tests have shown that when field 
planted as 2-0 stock 3 they remain at a 
standstill during the first season. In 
all shipments of 2-0 stock it is neces¬ 
sary to sort out these plants. In 1915 
the loss from this cause was fully 25 
per cent of the stock in spring-sown 
beds. If sowing is done in the spring 
it should be as early as possible. 
FALL SOWING 
During 1916 to 1919 sowings were 
made in the fall on several dates which 
afford comparisons of the effect on 
germination of the time of fall sowing. 
(See Table IV and fig. 1.) 
Table IV.— Percentage of germination of western yellow pine seeds sown on 
various dates in the fall 
DATES OF SOWING « 
1916 
Germination 
Aug. 21 
Sept. 1 
| Sept. 12 
Sept. 21 
Oct. 4 
Oct. 14 
Oct. 28 
Premature (fall)... 
3.6 
4.7 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
Effective (next season)_ 
32.3 
30.4 
39.2 
43.1 
50.0 
48.5 
41.0 
Hold over (second season)- 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
Total____ 
35.9 
35.1 
39.2 
43.1 
50.0 
48.5 
41.0 
1917 
Germination 
Aug. 27 
Sept. 7 
Sept. 17 
Sept. 27 
Oct. 6 
Oct. 20 
Nov. 3 
Premature (fall)... 
7.0 
1.0 
0.1 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
Effective (next season)_ 
33.3 
39.4 
34.2 
38.9 
34.6 
35.9 
20.1 
Hold over (second season)- 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.1 
0.0 
0.2 
Total_ 
40.3 
40.4 
34.3 
38.9 
34.7 
35.9 
20.3 
1918 
Germination 
Aug. 27 
Sept. 9 
Sept. 21 
Oct. 1 
Oct. 14 
Oct. 23 
Nov. 4 
Premature (fall)__ 
_J 0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
Effective (next season)_ 
_i 69.7 
j 54.5 
73.1 
67.7 
66.8 
60.7 
54.8 
Hold over (second season)- 
0 -° 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.1 
0.5 
Total_ 
69.7 
54. 5 
73.1 
67.7 
66.8 
60.8 
55.3 
1919 
Germination 
Aug. 28 
Sept. 8 
Sept. 16 
Sept. 28 
Oct. 8 
Premature (fall)____ 
0.1 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
Effective (next season)__ 
54.3 
46.8 
40.5 
46.0 
37.8 
Hold over (second season)- 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
0.0 
Total_ 
54.4 
46.8 
40.5 
46.0 
37.8 
3 In nursery practice the age of plant stock is indicated by figures, the first indicating the number of 
growing seasons in seed beds; the second, the number in transplant beds. Occasionally a third figure is 
added to indicate another transplanting. Thus 2-0 indicates 2-year-old seedlings; 1-1-1 indicates 3-year-old 
stock, 1 year in seed beds and 2 years in transplant beds, but transplanted twice. 
« 2,000 seeds were sown on each date. 
