38 THE CULTIVATED EVERGREENS 



seed, like pinus, larix, and taxodlum, in rows. The best soil is 

 sandy loam. The seed must be protected from the birds with 

 cheese-cloth. When the seedlings have developed the first two 

 leaves the cloth may be removed at night and replaced during 

 the day, and after they show the typical growth the cloth may 

 be removed entirely. Careful watering is very necessary. This 

 should be done in the morning with a fine rose, back and forth, 

 to prevent the earth from forming a crust due to flooding. 



During the first winter, seedlings should be protected with 

 a few dry leaves thrown over them and covered with evergreen 

 boughs. The second winter, hardy evergreens do not need 

 covering, with the exception of Tsuga canadensis and some 

 tender abies. 



When the seedlings are three years old it is time to trans- 

 plant; however, larix and taxodium transplant better when two 

 years old. Transplanting should be performed before the 

 seedlings start the new growth, dipping the roots in a bath of 

 good stiff clay dissolved in water, to prevent drying. To cause 

 the formation of a good root system, these seedlings should be 

 transplanted every two years until they are ready to be set 

 permanently. Evergreens transplanted often will keep a good 

 shape and ball and may be moved any time in spring or fall, 

 when those not transplanted will be a total failure. 



Older plants which become bare around the base may be 

 given new life by digging around the tree two feet deep, 

 keeping out far enough to prevent the cutting of any roots 

 and filling the hole with good fertile soil. 



Tender evergreens should be sown in flats or pans in the 

 greenhouse. A drainage of broken pots of about three-fourths 

 of an inch should be placed at the bottom, and the flat then 

 filled with a mixture of good leaf-mold and potting soil, with 

 enough sand to make it mellow. After the seed is sown, it 



