30 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



in mind the fact that the little seedlings should be well above the 

 ground before the hot sun of summer is ready to beat down upon 

 them. 



The Best Type of Soil for Seed Beds. Every propagator has his 

 own idea regarding the proper soil for the production of coniferous 

 seedlings. However, a visit to the nurseries located throughout 

 the United States and Europe will show that coniferous seedlings 

 are being successfully grown upon almost every type of soil, from 

 a pure sand to a heavy clay. There is just one point to bear in 

 mind, and that is the fact that the soil must have good bottom 

 drainage. It has always appeared to me that the treatment of the 

 soil to put it in a proper condition for sowing was of as much import- 

 ance as the type of soil itself. I want to emphasize the fact that 

 the physical condition of the soil is of as much importance as the 

 chemical composition. 



In preparing the area which has been set apart as ground suit- 

 able for the production of coniferous seedlings it is necessary to 

 have enough land to take care of an annual planting every year for 

 five years. Under this system you will be in position to remove 

 the seedlings clean from the beds at the end of the third year, thus 

 leaving the area vacant for the application of fertilizer or the 

 growth of a cover crop to have the soil in fine condition to receive 

 the second planting of seed beds. A soil may be rich with all of 

 the necessary chemical elements but what the grower demands is 

 that the soil can be readily worked. Therefore, I say that the 

 physical condition of the soil is of as much importance as the 

 chemical composition. 



Windbreaks for Summer and Winter Protection. Plant ever- 

 green windbreaks completely around the area selected for seed 

 beds. Plant a single row of evergreens every 150 feet across the 

 area, running parallel with the beds. These windbreaks temper 

 the cold drying winds of winter and assist in maintaining a more 

 uniform temperature over the enclosed area in the summer. These 

 windbreaks should take the form of neat, well-grown hedges, six 

 to twelve feet high. 



Preparing the Soil. To place the soil in the best possible condi- 

 tion for the planting and growing of conifer seedlings one or more 

 cover crops should be plowed into the soil. Cow-peas or Red 



