432 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



4. The roots should not be exposed but should be imme- 

 diately covered with burlap or other material. Of course this 

 will not be necessary on a rainy day, as is often the case in the 

 spring. 



Then after the digging comes the carrying of the evergreens 

 to the cellar. They should be carried in as fast as dug, kept 

 covered, and sprinkled as soon as they reach the cellar or, bet- 

 ter yet, sprinkled as soon as dug. 



Then there is the grading, which should not be done in a dry 

 or sunny place. It may be done in the shed if the air is damp, 

 but the cool, damp cellar is the better place, although it is a 

 little. dark and a disagreeable place for the men to work. 



After they are graded they are put in boxes or stalls. These 

 should be in a damp, cool place, and the roots of the evergreens 

 kept sprinkled every little while. The diggers and graders 

 should never get so far ahead of the packers that the evergreens 

 will be left in the stalls any great length of time. 



Then there is the packing which requires a good deal of care. 

 The tops of evergreens should not be packed tightly, as they 

 will heat just like so much green grass piled together, while the 

 roots should be done up in as near an air tight package as pos- 

 sible. It is desirable to have some sort of lever or press to get 

 the packages tight, and it is absolutely necessary in making long 

 shipments or where a quantity is packed to put followers in the 

 boxes, never more than one foot apart for the larger sizes and 

 six inches for the smaller, as the boxes are often thrown on 

 their ends by the freight handlers, and thus the evergreens are 

 forced from their places unless tight. There are few points 

 more important, as we have found to our sorrow in receiving 

 shipments from other nurseries. 



It is difficult to tell how the packing should be done. Every 

 nurseryman has his own way of packing and his own 

 packing material, and I don't know as any one feels entirely 

 satisfied with his way. Even the best and most carefully man- 

 aged nurseries will occasionally get off shipments that are de- 

 fective in their packing. There is yet much to be learned in this 

 line, and many simple machines and devices may be made to 

 save time and expense. 



