THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
331 
heavy liil)ri(*atin" oil, which will prevent the fresh con¬ 
crete from adherinji: to lln; iron. l)e|)osit two or three 
indies of concrete in the molds and then commence the 
tamping. This tamping- is accoinjilished hy a long- 
handled tamper furnished with the molds, and so de¬ 
signed as to pass easily between the inner and outer 
mold. Continue depositing and tamping the concrete 
until the mold is fnll. Be careful to fill the mold grad¬ 
ually. If half filled with concrete at the stait and then 
tamped this will not result in a strong and uniform pipe. 
burlap or rough cloth. Keep the covering moist. The 
pipe should not lie allowed to dry out for at least one 
week. It wdll he found that this “curing” will add 
greatly to the strength and durability of the pipe. After 
thorough curing the pijie can he removed to the storage 
place. They should not l)e roughly handled, however, 
until one or two months of age. During the winter time 
it is best to protect the tile from freezing temperature un¬ 
til one month after making. Hand-molds may be ob¬ 
tained for making either plain sti’aight pipe or pipe with 
Cement Tile Stored in the O'Pen. Freezing Weather Does 
Not Affect Them 
The tam})ing should be done continuously from the time 
the first concrete is deposited until the mold is full. When 
the concrete reaches the top it should be struck off to a 
smooth even surface with a trowel or float. As soon as 
it is deposited and tamping is completed the molds can be 
removed. In doing this care should be taken to avoid 
jarring the fresh concrete, as this might result in the col¬ 
lapse of the pipe. 
Curing the Pipe 
After the molds are removed the pipe should be al¬ 
lowed to rest undisturbed for 24 hours. They should 
then be kept wet by means of sprinkling or covering with 
bell and spigot ends. Bell end pipe are somewhat more 
difficult to make. There are several machines on the 
market which run by pow'^er and which turn out tile in 
much larger quantities than can be done with the small 
hand-molds. These machines are costly and would be 
necessary only where the quantity of pipe would be suf¬ 
ficiently large to warrant the extra expenditure. 
In conclusion, success in this undertaking, as in every 
other form of concrete construction, depends upon the se¬ 
lection of proper materials and careful and thorough 
workmanship. ■ 
Will you kindly inform me w hen and how^ Hemlock 
Spruce should be sown? How’^ long does the seed re¬ 
main in the ground before sprouting? 
A. E. W. 
Hemlock spruce seedlings grow wild so abundantly in 
many localities that nurserymen find they can buy col¬ 
lected stock cheaper than they can raise the seedlings 
and this custom is pretty generally follow^cd. It is 
usually not w ise to plant the collected seedlings right out 
in the nursery row^s, but to bed them in cold frames or 
w here they can be protected, shaded and w atered the 
first year until well estahlished and a root system devel¬ 
oped. 
The seed should be sow n in April as soon as the ground 
is in good condition for working. Prepare it thoroughly 
by deep digging and thoroughly pulverizing the soil. If 
the soil is of a clayey nature that will bake hard when 
dry add sand liberally, well rotted cow^ manure or leaf 
soil. Do not more than barely cover the seed. Provision 
must be made to shade the bed and keep it moist. 
The seed usuallv germinates in two or three w^eeks but 
the plants do not make much growth the first year so will 
not be ready for transplanting for tw o or three years 
after sowdng. 
