The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-03-29
Growing Evergrssns from Seed.


Good seed must be procured
of the previous seasons crop.
Avoid seed that is old. Make
examination and see that the
germs are plump and sound. The seed
of the pines, spruces and frs can be
tested in the winter in the same way
you would test wheat, oats or barley
to find the number of grains that will
freely terminate in given number of
seeds Seeds of the evergreens men
toned should be kept in a cool dry
room until time to plant arrives. Soak
in warm water from twenty-four to
thirty-six hours before planting. Seeds
of the Arbor Vitae should be stratifed
as soon as picked from the tree, dry
ing destroys their vitality. Red cedar
and all juniper seed should be strait
fed as soon as gathered and remain in
the stratified state one year before
planting.
The ground selected to plant ever
green seed upon should be first
class soil for corn, as free as
possible from weeds or grass.
The best way to secure this
condition is to grow crop
of potatoes, with such culture as will
absolutely destroy everything of the
weed kind. Plow and pulverize well
in early autumn, then in about a week
afterward throw the ground up in rough
beds running east and west. This is done
with horses and pillow in such a man.
ner that the beds when finished will
be four feet wide and from four to six
inches above the general level. The
alleys between the beds should be two
feet in width. Set good strong posts
eight feet apart each way over the en-
tire ground to be planted. Set them
from two and half to three feet in
the ground and seven feet high from
the ground up. Brace the outside row
of posts all around. Then run heavy
galvanized wire on the top of each row
of posts, north and south, and east and
west, and fasten securely with staple
on top of each post where the wires
cross. Cover the whole top with com
mon wire lath fencing, made with one
twist of wire less than common, be-
tween the lath to bling them close to-
gether. Enclose the sides in the same
way, fastening everything securely
with staples to the posts Instead o.
using lath, brush can be used by plac-
ing the wires two feet apart, and
weaving and tying brush TO them. The
shade must be evenly distributed so that
I,nlf 1,1 .f Ia
rays of the sun will be intercepted.
After finishing your shading go over
all your beds with cultivator and
then let it alone until spring comes
and the ground is dry enough to work
well. Scatter liberal dressing of
wood ashes over all the beds, then pull
verize thoroughly to the depth of four
inches, finish making the beds, have
the edges straight, beds four feet wide
and an inch or SO higher in the middle
than at the edges. The soil must be
completely pulverized and absolutely
free from rubbish of every kind. You
are now ready to SOW the seed; SOW
broadcast and have three or four seeds
tosthe square inch. After sowing
bed, run a common size garden roller
over it until every seed is pressed firm
into the soil. Cover the whole bed
with light colored, fine clean sand to
the depth of one quarter OF an inch for
the spruces, Scotch pine and frs,
and about one half an inch
for seeds like white pine.
Red cedar and Arbor VITAE seed is
taken from the place where they are
and sown, and all then are
rolled and covered as the others, with
the exception that the Arbor Vitae seed
is just barely covered with sand and
pulverized dry moss is sifted over them
to a depth of little less than one
quarter of an inch and the bed care
fully sprinkled with water through
fine hose. After every rain the beds
again wherever it has washed of. The
seed terminates in from ten to twenty
days after planting. All weeds must
be pulled out by hand as fast as they
appear, as the beds must be kept per-
fectly clean. The object in having the
sides enclosed as well as the top is to
keep out rabbits, dogs, poultry and
other vermin. A dog or rabbit merely
walking over bed when the trees are
coming up will destroy thousands. A
good boy with a shotgun is a -ecessary
adjunct to keep certain birds ON dig
ing up and eating the trees. ismust
be attended to. While the litt,' trees
are coming up, if the weather dry,
the beds must be carefully spr,nkled
every evening. Use just enough water
to thoroughly dampen the sand on the
beds. Have some dry sand stored away
so that during long spells of rainy,
damp, foggy weather you can get and
sprinkle the beds with it after each
shower. This coating of dry sand
should be very thin, not over 1-32 of an
inch deep. Pull out the weeds before
they form the second set of leaves.
Keep the alleys clean with the use of
the hoe.
The ground occupied by the seed
beds should be at least six or eight
rods from any building, trees, hedges