302 The Conifers. 



1237. Although the conifers thrive in a great variety of soils and 

 situations, it may be said that no soil which is compact, clayey, and 

 underlaid -by an impervious sub-soil, preventing it from drainage, is 

 suited to them. But a few will grow in the mud, but with these 

 exceptions almost every other kind of soil agrees with one or another, 

 and especially those where the calcareous or the silecious element 

 predominates. 



1238. When young, nearly every species delights in a sandy 

 loam, although when more advanced they may sometimes require a 

 more substantial kind. The seeds should be sown early, and be 

 covered thin. A mixture of about one-third sand and two-thirds 

 mold is generally suitable for the seed-bed. Many kinds do very 

 well in a dry soil, but they need more humidity in the early years, 

 which is secured in the natural forests under the shelter of the par- 

 ent trees. It is more effectual, if accompanied by a high tempera- 

 ture. All of these conditions are best managed in seed-beds and 

 nurseries, and hence the advantages generally of starting conifers 

 in nurseries first and of transplanting them while small. Of all 

 trees the conifers suffer most and soonest from the exposure of their 

 roots to the air, and the greatest possible care should be taken to 

 prevent them from drying. 



1239. Among the conifers there are many ornamental species and 

 varieties that can be multiplied and perpetuated by grafting and by 

 cuttings. These are delicate operations, and require special skill 

 and convenient arrangements, found only among professional nur- 

 serymen. We can only here state some of the principal points con- 

 cerning them.^ Cuttings may be taken from the trees in spring, 

 before vegetation has started, or in fall, after the growth of the year 

 has formed. They are set in little pots, filled with light sandy soil, 

 or in little beds, under glass, in a multiplying bed, where the tem- 

 perature is regulated, and they are properly sprinkled. 



1240. For grafting, the terminal shoot is taken as a scion, and if 

 the hardened wood is used, the best time for grafting is in autumn. 

 By a delicate, but generally certain process, the shoots, while still 

 herbaceous, may be grafted in the growing season, in the month of 

 May. In grafting conifers, care must be taken that the stock be as 



'A detailed description of these methods is given in Forestry Report, 

 Vol. II., p. 70 to 80. 



