CHAPTER II 

 CULTIVATION AND PROPAGATION OF CONIFERS 



THE cultivation of conifers presents no special dijQficulties, 

 if proper soil and exposure are available. The question 

 of hardiness is, of course, all-important. It is not only 

 the problem of temperature the given tree will stand, but also 

 the exposure to winds, and, to a considerable extent, the source 

 from which the tree is derived. Sometimes hemlocks and firs, 

 for example, can be transplanted with safety from adjacent 

 fields or woods, while the same species brought from a more 

 southern or more protected region might not readily establish 

 itself. This is particularly the case with species grown on the 

 northern borders of their hardiness. If the plants are raised 

 from seeds matured in similar or even more rigorous climates, 

 they are usually more hardy. 



THE GENERAL CARE AND HANDLING OF EVERGREENS 



As to soil conditions, little special research has been under- 

 taken that applies to the cultivation of conifers for ornament. 

 The same is true also as to fertilizers; there is exception to this 

 statement in the growing of young stock in nursery plantations, 

 wherein careful studies are not lacking, but these investigations 

 may not be considered here. In general it may be said that the 

 soil for conifers should be "good," which implies that the same 

 means may be employed for the improvement of land for 

 conifers as for the staple crops. General fertilizing of the land 

 is to be expected to produce good results. In many cases it 

 is desired to plant evergreens on barren outlying parts of the 

 estate; the first consideration is to observe in the neighborhood 



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