i6 7 



the perpendicular side of the trench and the earth firmed 

 with the hand, the object being to get the mellow earth in 

 firm- contact with the roots. The hole is now filled level 

 full and the board taken up and put on the other side of the 

 row of seedlings which has just been planted, and the pro- 

 cess repeated. 



When the work is done the seedlings will be planted in 

 the bed very accurately. . Cultivation is done with a sharp 

 hoe. It is usually necessary to shade the evergreen seed- 

 lings the first year, although in the case of the Black Hills 

 and Jack pines it is not found necessary, as they stand the 

 sun better than any other evergreen. When the seedlings 

 are about a foot in height they can be transplanted to their 

 permanent position, advantage being taken of a favorable 

 time for the work. The best time for transplanting is in 

 the spring just before the pine buds begin to start. 



If it is desired to get the seedlings larger in size before 

 transplanting to a permanent position, it is necessary to trans- 

 plant them about every other year in nursery row after they 

 leave the bed. If this is not done the tap-roots, especially of 

 the pines, are formed and when finally removed there are no 

 fibrous roots to hold the earth in transplanting. To state 

 the case briefly, the first six or ten years in the life of an 

 evergreen the growth is very slow and special care is needed 

 to keep them from the enemies, the weeds. Hence most 

 people will prefer to buy their evergreens of their nearest 

 reliable nurseryman, who has evergreens in beds or nursery 

 row ready for their permanent place. However, many 

 planters have found it economical to buy two or three thous- 

 and seedling evergreens two years old direct from the seed- 

 bed, and plant them in beds with the aid of a board as above 

 described. In two years they will have some trees ready for 

 permanent places while the smaller ones are transplanted in 

 nursery row or re-set in other beds if too small for nursery 

 row. Some evergreens, such as the spruce, are so slow at 

 first that it is ten years before they are of suitable size for the 



