1899.] ESSAYS. 73 



and partly from the l)irds which often pick up the youn<r sced- 

 liiijis which are just hreakinn jriomid. If no laths are handy, 

 the beds can be covered with Pine, Hemk)ck or Cedar branches. 

 As soon as the young plants begin to appear the branches should 

 be raised some inches above the ground. It is a good plan 

 where pine needles are plenty to cover the beds thinly between 

 the rows with them. This keeps down the weeds and saves 

 much watering. 



The critical time for young conifers is the first three months 

 of their existence, until they have made a crown bud. After 

 that time there is very little danger. A great quantity of rain 

 or a scorching sun will often prove fatal to thousands. Stirring 

 the soil after heavy rains or sifting dry soil among the beds of 

 over-wet seedlings is a great benefit. After the muggy weather 

 of August is passed they require very little care for the rest of 

 the year. Pines should not stand more than two years in the 

 seed-bed unless sown very thin. The White, Black and Norway 

 Spruce will hardly be fit for transplanting until the second year. 

 The Larch and Arborvit* should be transplanted after the first 

 year. The seeds of Juniperus and Taxus do not germinate 

 until the second year. The Stone Pines lie on the ground un- 

 til the second year, although a few may come up the first year. 

 The seeds of conifers, with the exception of the Silver Firs, 

 will, if kept in a cool dry place, retain their germinating powers 

 for a number of years. White, Scotch and Austrian Pines and 

 Pitch Pines come up fairly well after being kept five years, and 

 might possibly have been several years older when received. 



I have found by experience that too much moisture is fatal to 

 the germination of old seeds, and especially resinous or oily 

 ones. If sown in a soil barely moist and covered with dry 

 sphagnum to prevent the escape of the little moisture in the 

 soil, many will grow, while if treated in the ordinary way, the 

 seed will swell and then rot. 



Many shrubs and trees can be grown from cuttings of old and 

 new wood, also by cuttings of the roots. Many trees and 

 shrubs otherwise hard to propagate by cuttings of the hard or 

 soft wood are easily propagated by pieces of the roots. The 



