12 Thi: Colorado Experiment Station. 
making the beds four feet wide and as long as desired. The soil 
within the bed should be one or two inches higher than that out¬ 
side the frame. After the soil is carefully leveled and firmed with 
a piece of board the seeds are sown broadcast and covered to the 
proper depth by sprinkling fine soil upon them. Lath screens are 
then laid across the bed and allowed to rest upon the board frame. 
In this way trouble from strong winds, which might blow down 
the high screens, is avoided and moisture is readily retained. On 
cloudy days the screens should be removed, especially while the 
seedlings are young. 
If an open place among trees and in partial shade is avail¬ 
able the artificial screen may be omitted. Care should be taken 
to keep the surface of the soil comparatively dry, for a wet, soggy 
soil is almost certain to induce “damping off,” a disease caused 
by certain fungi which thrive in poorly drained soils. A thin 
layer of pure sand spread over the surface of the soil is often 
used to check or prevent this trouble. 
PLATE I. 
Drawing’s showing leaf-charadters that distinguish the pines, spruces and 
firs; also the fiowers (young cones) of a pine, all somewhat enlarged. 
