88 ELEMENTARY FORESTRY. 



raise evergreens is what is known as "damping off" which 

 occurs only while the plants are growing- rapidly the first 

 year. In such a case the seeds start well and the seedlings 

 grow vigorously for a short time or until we have a spell of 

 damp weather and then die off with great rapidity. It seems 

 that the sunlight and the mud that has been spattered on the 

 plants so weakens them that they are liable to disease. For this 

 reason we shade the bed and cover with sand which will not 

 allow the mud to be spattered over the seedlings, and in very 

 moist warm weather we occasionally apply dry sand to dry 

 off the plants. For most kinds of conifers the shade is re- 

 quired for at least two years. 



Figure 13. Evergreen seed bed shaded with a screen of old brush 

 placed on a frame. 



Coniferous tree seedlings grow very slowly when young 

 seldom making a growth of more than two or three inches the 

 first year. The most rapid growing of our pines seldom pro- 

 duce a growth of more than sixteen inches in four years and 

 should not be moved to their permanent place until about this 

 time. They should, however, be transplanted from the seed 

 bed to a temporary place when two years old to prevent 

 crowding and to facilitate root growth. 



On the approach of winter the beds of coniferous seedlings 

 should be covered with about three inches of straw or leaves, 

 evergreen branches or other material that will afford pro- 

 tection from the sun and from alternate freezing and thawing. 



