360 



CONIFERS 



which they soon become spindly, they thrive best on 

 loose, sandy soils, and can endure dry soils, the White 

 Pine adapting itself perhaps best to the clay soils with- 

 out detriment to its development. On wet soils pines 

 are, as a rule, docidodlv out of place, although the Red 

 Pine IP. r ■•...■', 1, r,f Hie north, and the Loblolly {P. 



Ttedi:). :■- '. ' In r southern species are capable of 



suppiniii htions. For such situations here, 



howevn. I 1 1 itir furnishes better material, — the 



Cham:i_-v;, I'.ir I-, 1 iiii\:is and Taxodium. These trees of 

 the bog and swamp are, however— it should not be over- 

 looked— capable of thriving even better on drier soils. 

 They are merely indifferent to moisture conditions at 

 the foot. 



The shallow-rooted spruces are trees of the higher 

 mountain ranges, and are, therefore, more adapted to 



field pine 



moist and cool situations, although some of them, the 

 Norway Spruce, the Blue Spruce of Colorado and the 

 northern White Spruce will— the former, at least, during 

 its juvenile period— endure more droughty situations. 

 The firs, too, are rather more species of northern 

 climates and high altitudes, the Red Fir, so-called 

 {Pseuclotsuga tuj:ifoUa), which is not a fir proper, be- 

 ing, perhaps, best capable of supporting drier and hot- 

 ter situations. Tlin most ornamental, and, in many re- 

 spects, most sprvi.(:il.li- ..I' i|]i- lirs, Abies iVordmanni- 

 ana, from the (_':in.:isii-., ilrv.l,i|is its magnificent dense 

 and dark green l"Ii;i-i n, ii,, warm but moist climate of 

 Washington, while our must ornamental AMes concolor 



CONIFERS 



from Colorado will thrive even in our drier atmos> 

 pheres of the Middle states. The fine firs of the Pacific 

 coast will probably not thrive anywhere in our drier and 

 hotter eastern climates for any length of time, unless 

 placed in cool and shady situations. 



The Douglas Fir {PseiKh'Isn ■„ >,.,■!'.,!:. ,\ is. perhaps, 

 most readily acclimated if >■■•! r- i iTiHiithedry 



slopes of Colorado. The La ■ ' ihamwejip- 



nris /iawsonmna), with its isr-.. ■'■.{■■ . . .us branches 



and foliage, and the pyrami'hil / ' ". ■!■' tirrens are 



unquestionably desirable additions to our ornamental 

 stock, while the Sequoias, especially Waahingtoniann, 

 the Big Tree, has shown itself capable of thriving in the 

 latitu.l,- ,,( Koi-lu-ster. 



.-.•.ling of all, ami will perish soon if 

 ide of any other trees. All species, 

 ble of more shade-endurance when 

 moist soil. Their relative shade-en- 



ni nditions remains, however, the 



ulii il in the forest by observing the 



I lii.il crowns, the capacity of maln- 



lia-e under the shade of different 



young plants to persist in 



density of th.' in.liM-lu; 



species, and especially 

 such shade. 



Propagation.— Most Conifers ripen their fruit in the 

 fall, September to November, and are best gathered soon 

 after or before ripeiii!ii' 'I'le- i.i'M->^ t-ike t..o\-.i!i- t.. ma- 

 ture their cones, ^\'llll- I'm , - i n,, ,, i , ,,ii n, : i,, e, . i two 



weeks of September n .: ili.- 



seeds at once, the en I ].: : . ., !i . ■•. '• ■ n.^. 



The 



of 



Is from time to time, opening and 

 ring. Some pines, like Pi mis pun- 



am :•,, •,. .. • :•. , . ' ;. ,• -, n specially 



eon- - . >i / . ■,- , , ■ -,irii .< , ,1 ~ I i.i !!<■ carefullv 



in,).,', 1,4.;,- ii -,.1,1. ,1,,,,., Millei., ii.,iu iuiproper use of 

 the heat. 



The propoition ,,i L'ermin.ating seeds, and the vitality, 

 i. e., the aluliiN --f r-iaining germinative power, varies 

 greatly not only witli tlie seasons in the same species, 

 but from species to species. 



The lowest germination percentage and vitality is found 

 in firs and larch, which show rarely more than 50 per 

 cent of good seed, and soon lose their vitality, while 

 spni.. Mi.l |.iiii , ,■ Im II 11, 1 i rely fresh, may .show as much 

 ;i- ' : ' : I illation, and retain vitality for 



■2 t ■ 'i year a proportion, Norway 



.•siii I N . n ..hi ~ i;i\ iiig 10 per cent germination. 



Ill iia.le.il Keciiiiiiaiioii percentage for spruce of 75 to 

 80; piue, 70 to 7j; fir, ^0 to 50; larch, 20 to 40, should be 

 acceptable. 



Seeds are best kept in a dry, cool garret in tight bags 

 or boxes, excluding the air as much as possible. 



All seeds require a short rest or atter-i-ipening of two 

 to four weeks before they are ready to germinate, and 

 some, like the Taxus and Juniper, lie over, even in nature, 

 for a year or more before they germinate. The latter 

 should be prepared for sowing by macerating them, and 

 removing the pulp in hot water, then mixing with sharp 

 sand in bags, and by friction freeing the seed from the 

 pulp. 



In the seed-bed somewhat more care is required than 

 with most other species of trees. A thoroughly mellow, 

 well pulverized seed-bed of light, loamy sand, possibly 

 enriched with well decomposed manure (cow-dung better 

 than horse-dung), is required, the covering of the seed 

 varying, according to size, from a mere sprinkling for 

 larch to one-quarter inch for the heavy-seeded pines. 

 They may be sown as soon as the weather is settled, in 

 northern latitudes the second or third week in May, best 



