EVERGREENS OF COLORADO 



57 



as in the growing of radishes. Fine soil may then be sifted over the 

 seeds and the bed watered with a watering pot, care being taken not to 

 wash the soil nor disturb the seeds. The seeds of limber pine, yellow 

 pine and pinyon pine may be planted from three-fourths to one inch in 

 depth, while for lodgepole pine and Engelmann and blue spruces, one- 

 third to one-half inch in depth is ample. 



After the seeds are planted, it is well to sprinkle about 1 or 2 

 inches of fine chaff over the beds which will help to retain the moisture 



but will not prevent the 

 young seedlings from 

 pushing up to the light. A 

 very satisfactory way is 

 to cover the seed beds 

 with burlap fastened 

 down with pegs which 

 will allow watering the 

 surface of the beds with- 

 out danger of disturbing 

 the seeds. The burlap or 

 chaff must be removed 

 as soon as the seeds be- 

 gin to break the soil. 

 Germination of the Coni- 

 fers is apt to be rather 

 slow in most cases, at 

 least two weeks being 

 required for the seed- 

 lings to appear. In the 

 case of red cedars and 

 junipers, the seeds will 

 often lie dormant in the 

 ground during the first 

 year after planting and 

 will not germinate until 

 the second spring. 



Most of the' Conifers 

 require partial shade 

 during the first year or 

 two. An exception to 

 this is found in our yellow pine, which is one of the few evergreens which 

 can be grown from seed without protection from direct sunlight. Even 

 this species can be more surely grown, however, by some shading during 

 the first season. Suitable screens are made from lath spaced equal to 

 their own width apart and nailed to frames which may be laid over the 

 seed bed. These screens should be removed, however, during very cloudy, 

 damp weather unless the rainfall is heavy, when they may be tilted to 

 one side in such a way as to partially shelter the little seedlings. 



Fig. 41. Utah Juniper, a. Branch with fruit. 

 b. A berry, c. Seeds; all natural size. 



