F. W. SCHUMACHER .. : : i . Jamaica Plain, Mass. 
NOTES OF INTEREST 
DORMANCY IN SEEDS OF PINE, SPRUCE, OTHER CONIFERS—Failure 
to germinate promptly certain conifer seeds is often due to the fact that no con- 
sideration had been given to their dormancy factors. Seeds most usually concerned 
are:—White Spruce, White Pine, other Pines of the Cembra, Flexilis and Strobus 
groups. 
In Fir (Abies), Hemlock (Tsuga), Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga) dormancy occur- 
rence is variable with dormancy found in some lots and none in others. 
In Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) fifty percent of seeds are dormant the other 
half fast germinating. 
Late spring planting of all of the before mentioned is apt to result in total failure 
or partial germination only. Fall planting for some, early spring planting for others 
or pre-treatment (stratification) of seed lots will be required for best results. Growers 
are requested :— 
A. To consult reference books for these problems. 
B. For earliest spring planting to prepare their beds in the fall, not to touch 
bed surface at sowing time but to dress with dry peatmoss, sow and cover 
with peatmoss and shades. Boarding-in of beds will faciliate this procedure. 
NEW PROCEDURE IN STRATIFICATION—The use of polyethylene plastic 
film makes possible now the elimination of the moisture problem in stratification 
media. Trials with polyethylene film which retains moisture and water vapor, though 
not impermeable to air and gases, have given promising results. To anyone who 
has been troubled with stratification difficulties (and who has not?) trials and further 
experimentation with the new plastic are recommended. The gist of the matter is 
that stratification lots, i.e. seeds plus the properly moistened medium protected by 
the plastic film require no further watering during period of treatment. 
For the stratification medium a good grade of peatmoss seems to be the most 
suitable. A moisture content of about fifty percent is ideal. At this percentage the 
peatmoss still feels quite dry and no water can be squeezed out. With no free water 
present the peatmoss reacts in the process merely as a moisture retainer but as a 
neutral agent otherwise. With higher concentration of moisture unfavorable re- 
actions from the peatmoss itself may be expected to occur. Proper moistening is 
easily accomplished by using 214-3 parts of dry peatmoss with one part of water by 
weight. These proportions are approximate, taking in consideration the natural 
moisture contents of dry peatmoss. 
For small quantities of seed a mixture of the moistened peat and the seeds is 
placed in the middle of a square sheet of polyethylene and wrapped up diagonally, 
starting with one corner, with some folding of the film over the contents a neat round 
roll can be obtained which is held together with a rubber band with the label for the 
lot tucked under. The parcel is then ready for storage at proper temperature. 
For large seed lots to be stratified in flats or boxes, containers are first lined 
with several layers of newspaper or the new rot-proof burlap. Two pieces of the 
plastic are cut to fit the container. The first, to go the length of the box, is cut as 
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