EVERGREENS OF COLORADO 



Fig-. 42. Trailing Juniper. Six feet across. Owl Canyon. 



One of the greatest obstacles in the successful raising of evergreen 

 seedlings is the danger from damping off. This is a disease of the seed- 

 lings due to the growth of certain fungi in the soil which causes the 

 roots of the little trees to decay and the seedlings to wilt and die. This 

 trouble usually is most severe during spells of damp, cloudy weather, 

 when the surface of the soil in the seed beds is continually moist. For 



this reason the practice 

 is sometimes made of 

 covering the surface of 

 the soil with one-fourth 

 to one-half inch of sand 

 and of keeping the seed 

 beds well aired during 

 cloudy, rainy weather. 

 Over-watering of the seed 

 beds may also have a 

 tendency to bring about 

 conditions for the devel- 

 opment of this disease 

 and this should be 

 avoided at all times. 



Fig-. 43. 



One-seeded Juniper. Portion of a fruit- 

 ing branch; natural size. 



Upon the approach of winter a mulch of chaff or chopped straw 

 should be scattered among the seedlings, so as to cover them to a depth 

 of three or four inches and the screens may be left on. This will pre- 

 vent heaving of the little trees by frost. This mulch should be removed 

 in spring as soon as the frost is out of the ground, otherwise the young 



