State Agricultural Society. 285 



it to a light, steady strain, first in one direction then in another, not 

 breaking its stalk — and it will come away. If the earth around it offers 

 to break up, hold it down with the fingers of the other hand while the 

 weed is being drawn out. A bed well weeded ought to show no other 

 sign of the operation than a number of little clean round holes. Replace 

 each cover as fast as its bed is weeded. After weeding, wet the beds 

 well down again to settle the earth promptly. Thus proceeding, two 

 men can properly tend say six hundred yards of beds, including water- 

 ing them. 



BRINGING ON PLANTS. 



It may be desired to hasten the maturing of the plants in a portion of 

 the beds, or in the whole of them. When the plants appear to be 

 making a generally healthy growth, the beds being well filled with 

 plants having four leaves each, and it is merely desired to harden them 

 to the stage fit for transplanting, withhold the water for a few days, till 

 the plants show slight signs of suffering for it, the green of their leaves 

 looking wan and faintish. Then water copiously, and withhold again. 

 By the second day following this watering, a good many of the plants, 

 and perhaps a sufficiency, will be found to have attained the desired con- 

 dition. It may, however, be necessary to repeat the operation. By this 

 means, a set of really thrifty beds, which had attained to the stage of 

 forwardness contemplated, ought, within a week from first withholding 

 of the water, to be in condition for the beginning of general transplant- 

 ing. The leaves of the young plants should show a deep green color 

 and a general look of maturity quite distinct from the tender emerald 

 green of the younger plants; the stalk should have exchanged its soft, 

 cellular, watery, translucent appearance, for a firm, opaque one. The 

 specific effect of this treatment is to cause the roots to push out and 

 down in search of the receded moisture while it is withheld, and to take 

 up food freely and abundantly as soon as it is again supplied. 



Should the plants fail to respond promptly to this treatment, or 

 should they have failed within ten to twelve weeks at furthest after 

 first making their appearance to have developed at least four well- 

 grown leaves, it may be suspected that there is something wrong with 

 the beds. Some difference in the rate of growth is to be looked for, 

 according to the character of the season, the coldness of the weather, 

 the warmth of the soil, etc. Too abundant watering may have con- 

 tributed to keep the ground cold and retard growth. But after making 

 proper allowance for all these things, "the plants may have failed to 

 come forward as they ought. It must then be inferred that the food 

 needful for them is not within reach of the rootlets, and they must be 

 stimulated. Liquid ammonia added to the water will bring them for- 

 ward, if anything will; but a strong solution of chicken manure or 

 pigeon manure will commonly be sufficient for the purpose and more 

 convenient. Dump the manure into the tank or reservoir in which the 

 water for the plant beds is maintained, and water the beds frequently — 

 moderating the quantity given at one watering; that is, give the soil a 

 chance to get warmed — taking care that it does not become dry. Some- 

 times after the first stimulus administered in this way the plants will 

 grow freely with the ordinary watering. This shows that only the 

 surface layer of the beds was deficient, from some cause, in plant food. 

 At other times it may be found needful to continue the use of the liquid 

 manure throughout the planting season. It was to obviate the chance 

 of this set-back that in forming the plant beds the soil was worked for 



