Dave,
 Don't know if my experience will help ya or not but here goes. The hawthorn seeds I collected I removed all flesh off of them. By flesh I mean the fruit. I let the seeds dry out and then store in a cool dry place til time to stratify them. But this last procedure I did not do last yr. I sowed the seeds directly in pots with soil and kept outside. Come spring of this yr I had about 6-7 come up. Only one survived til now. I believe if ya keep the seeds in their flesh(fruit) coverin it would take the 2 yrs to sprout. Bacteria would need to eat away the flesh in order for the seeds to germinate. I'm not experienced in this but some seeds that are encased in a flesh fruit will not germinate due to a chemical that is in the flesh and only when all signs of this chemical or flesh is gone will the seeds germinate. A good scenario I've experienced is with american persimmon. Hope this helps some. If not someone will step in and set it straight.

Thanks for the help guys.
Sounds like a pain in the butt.
-Dave

has anyone ever tried to air layer? my neighbor has giant bushes over 20ft tall. it would be nice to start with a 3'' base.