FOREST SEEDS, SEEDLINGS AND CUTTINGS. 43 



from the wild forest are not as well rooted nor so hardy as from the nur- 

 sery; but with care in plucking up, packing and planting, never exposing 

 the roots to the sun, they can be made to live and do well. Best ever- 

 greens have been transplanted two or three times. The smaller sizes, from 

 three to four years old, are the more reliable. They should be planted on 

 the lawn, here and there one and sometimes in groups, and around the 

 stock yard, the barn and other out-buildings, hiding deformities. There is 

 no better wind-break for the orchard or garden than evergreens. 



PLANTING EVERGREENS. 



Keep the roots moist; never expose them a moment to the sun or wind. 

 Drying coagulates the juices and stops the circulation. "For better pro- 

 tection," says the Jewell Nursery Company, "mud the roots and put in the 

 ground before it dries on. Such treatment is better than pouring water 

 into the hole." Don't put in the tree as you would a post. Make the hole 

 large and deep and fill in the best loose soil. Spread the roots out natural. 

 Do it quickly. Put the plant down an inch, at least, deeper than it grew 

 in the nursery. Sprinkle the dirt in fine; press it around the roots close; 

 shovel in and press down, and so on till the precious thing is so well 

 planted you cannot pull it up. Leave a film of unpressed dirt on the sur- 

 face; have the ground dip toward the tree to catch the rain. Mulch on 

 the surface and out over and beyond where the roots are. 



KILLED BY WATERING. 



Trees do not live on water alone, but mainly on the nutrition of the soil, 

 the water assisting in the process of preparing the food they need by con- 

 tributing its share of the oxygen. Too much water gormandizes, neutral- 

 izes the chemical action, or vegetable digestion, so to speak. Very often 

 cold water, direct from the well, is sprinkled on the plants, which tends to 

 chill them to death, and these little dribblets seldom reaching the roots, 

 form a hard crust on the surface soil, excluding air circulation, and, of 

 course, the plants die. Mulching well economizes the ground moisture 

 and assists in developing ammonial properties, so essential to plant life. 

 My idea is, that when all the ground is "dry as chips," best to water 

 among the roots with sunned water, and "let them alone." 



RAISING EVERGREENS FROM SEEDS. 



Procure the northern grown. The one year old are surest to sprout. 

 They are found at the base of the scaly shells to the cones in which they 

 develop. Sometimes they drop out before the cones fall from the parent 

 tree. Then again they may remain in their cozy homes long after the 

 cones have fallen. Even as late as June, the seed in this condition can be 

 found. For surer harvest better gather the cones just before the seeds are 

 ripe, say from the last of October till the middle of November, and grad- 

 ually dry them. Generally the shells will open by this process. When 

 they seem to be refractory, subject them to artificial heat, and the seeds 

 are sure to fall out. Keep in a cool, dry place, excluding the light, and 

 plant in the spring in moist soil. 



