118 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



condition possible. A deep, rich, loamy soil, well supplied 

 with oi-oanic matter, constitutes a aood o-uarantee against 

 sun scald. 



Burning of Conifers and Evergreens. 



The burning or dryinof up of leaves commonly seen on 

 conifers and other evergreens in spring is the result of win- 

 ter or spring injury. Trees afiected in this manner show the 

 burning generally on one side, which coincides with the 

 direction of some prevailing wind or storm. This is a genu- 

 ine scald, similar to that prevailing on other trees, and occurs 

 at a time when the ground is frozen and drying winds pre- 

 vail. This is usually brought about by a sudden rise of 

 temperature in the early spring when the plants are in frozen 

 ground, at which time transpiration is active. Under these 

 conditions root absorption is limited, whether the soil is 

 moist or dry, and burning results. 



An arbor vitas hedge, which has been under our observa- 

 tion for some years, located on high ground with a severe 

 exposure, becomes burned more or less every year. Fre- 

 quently the burning is on the southeast side and occasionally 

 on the southwest, but more often on the northwest, which is 

 the direction of the prevailing winds. 



There is a considerable amount of burning to conifers and 

 rhododendrons in this State, and not infrequently this is so 

 bad that the specimens are ruined. Much of this injury 

 occurred during the winter of 11)04—05, on evergreens 

 located on private estates and in nurseries. One nursery- 

 man states, for example, that all his evergreens, which 

 included various species of abies, buxus, chamsecyparis, 

 jiuiiperus, picea, })seudotsuga, taxus, thuya and tsuga, 

 burned last winter, and other nurserymen have experienced 

 trouble with retinosporas and varieties of thuya or arbor I 

 vit^e. 1 



Our native conifers are seldom injured in this manner 

 except when transplanted in some uncongenial place, or 

 where the environment is more or less modified. Swamp 

 cedar burns frequently when taken from the swamp and 



