140 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



to check this is, I have found, at the first sight of its appearance to 

 heat a shovelful of sand quite hot and sift it amongst the young 

 seedlings, using a very fine sieve. Many would think that this 

 would destroy the plants at this tender age, but it does not. I have 

 tried it on almost all kinds of young seedlings and have found it 

 verv effective in destroying the minute fungus which is such a pest 

 among young plants. About the first of September more air and 

 less moisture may be given them so as to harden the plants prepara- 

 tory to their removal to winter quarters, which should be a deep 

 frame or pit in some sheltered situation. They may be put in this 

 pit the first of October, or sooner if you need the house for other 

 purposes. In this pit they should have plenty of air every pleasant 

 day but should be covered every night to keep them from frost as 

 long as possible. This can readily be done in most seasons up to 

 the middle of December or first of January by a single mat; they 

 can then be covered with mats or meadow hay and wall need only 

 to be uncovered once every two weeks for an hour or so to guard 

 against damp or excessive moisture, which will often cause a fungus 

 even in a cold pit, if kept long without air. In the spring about the 

 first of May the seedlings can be transplanted into well-prepared 

 beds of peaty soil or a light sandy loam of good depth. If dry 

 weather sets in they will require plenty of water as they are not 

 deep rooted at this time; if water is handy I give them a good 

 syringing every evening as soon as the sun begins to leave the bed, 

 until the middle of August, when I withhold all moisture so that 

 the plants may ripen well before winter sets in. If they have been 

 well cared for they will be from six to seven inches high at the end of 

 the second season. 



At the approach of cold weather a slight covering of leaves be- 

 tween the young plants and covering the tops with pine boughs 

 or coarse meadow hay to keep the sun off will carry the plants 

 through the winter in safety. The following spring they may be 

 planted in the nursery where they can remain until used. The 

 same treatment will apply to Azaleas, Kalmias and other ericaceous 

 plants, excepting that the Azaleas grow much more rapidly than 

 the others, and at the end of the second season such species as .-1. 

 mollis and^. calendulacea v^AW have quite a number of flower buds 

 on them, while the Rhododendrons will scarcely show' signs of 

 flowering until the fourth or fifth year. 



