PROPAGATION. 21 
little, and will last a long time if placed under cover when 
not in use. The sun reaches every part of the bed through 
the screens in the course of the day, but does not remain 
long enough on any particular spot to cause injury. A 
board fence or hedge running east and west will often 
answer very well for a screen for the more delicate varie- 
ties which require it; on the north side of these make the 
bed, and only so wide as will be shaded in the middle 
of the day. 
Most of the evergreens require a little protection from 
the sun when they first come up. There are also some of 
our deciduous trees which are rather tender and often burn 
off when they first appear above ground. The Mountain 
Ash, Larch, Taxodium, and some others, often fail entirely 
for the want of a little protection at this time. No gen- 
eral rule will apply to all, nor can there be any specific 
rule which will apply to each and every section of the 
country; as soil and climate vary, 8o must practice. It is 
better to be careful than careless, therefore it is better to 
use a preventive than risk a failure. When I come to 
speak of the different varieties, I shall indicate kinds 
which are better sown in shady situations than in open 
ground. It may not always be necessary, but is certainly 
the safest. Seeds sown in these beds with screens should 
not be covered too deep, and the best way to do it is with 
a sieve, whether in drills or otherwise. 
The best soil for covering is fine leaf meld, so well rot- 
ted that it will pass readily through a sieve with one eighth 
of an inch meshes. It will often be necessary to water 
these seed-beds, especially when the small and delicate 
