PLANTING AND CULTIVATING EVERGREENS. 159 



fruit trees ? Plant castor beans occasionally through the orchard and 

 the gophers will leave. 



A vote of thanks was tendered Mr. Allen, after which the meeting 

 adjourned. Frank Morey, Secretary. 



PLANTING AND CULTIVATING EVERGREENS. 



BY W. E. HAEEIS. 



I have no paper; wrote one on this subject two years ago and have 

 not changed much since. I am not growing from seed now, I prefer 

 to buy one-year seedlings. I get them in the spring from some reli- 

 able grower, heel them in in the shade and let them stand till the 

 fibrous roots form, and then transplant on a cloudy day. Two-year- 

 old Scotch pine, Arbor Vitse, and Norway spruce can be grown with- 

 out shade, but we prefer to shade the one-year plants. Our screen is 

 a frame-work covered with slough grass, and it is handy because the 

 plants can be sprinkled through it. The next spring after growing 

 one season under this shade we transplant to the open field. We put 

 out 2,000 last spring and lost fifty of them. 



Run a tree plow under evergreens every other year if you intend to 

 transplant them some time ; when they get up pretty good size take 

 out every other one to give more room. We " block out" trees eight 

 to ten feet high and have very little loss. Prepare the hole where the 

 tree is to stand ; then pour water around the tree and let it freeze ; 

 when sufficiently frozen, dig around, leaving a ball of earth attached 

 to the roots ; take out the tree with this ball of earth, haul on a " stone 

 boat" to the place you have selected, set it in the hole already pre- 

 pared, and there is little danger of its dying. 



DISCUSSION. 



Williams — What is blocking out? Transplanting large trees"? 

 I do this in May, never in the winter, as the labor is easier. 



Webber — I want to ask about the native pine; is it good? In 

 Custer county the native yellow pine is common; can any one tell if 

 it is like the kind horticulturists disseminate? We want to decide if 

 it is. 



