222 Principles of Plant C Ber 
freezing. To insure such protection, plants to be trans- 
ported any considerable distance should be packed. 
405. Plants Packed for Transportation should be 
inclosed throughout, and the roots should be in close con- 
tact with some moist material, preferably bog moss; straw 
is often used for this purpose, and answers well for packing 
about the trunks and branches of trees, but it is inferior to 
moss for inclosing roots as it is more liable to heat, and 
does not so well retain moisture. 
Herbaceous plants, as of the strawberry, cabbage, sweet 
potato etc., may be packed in layers separated with moss, 
as follows: Over the bottom of a box, of which the width is 
about double the length of the plants to be packed, and 
which has slatted sides, place a thin layer of damp (not wet) 
moss, and over this, place a layer formed of a double row 
of the plants, with their roots at the center, overlapping a 
little, and the tops toward the sides of the box. Then put 
another layer of moss and another layer of plants, and so 
on until the box is full, or the desired quantity is packed. 
The thickness of the layers will depend upon the time of 
year, the temperature, the distance to be transported and 
the kind of plants. The warmer the weather, the thinner 
should be the layers of plants, as a rule. When the top of 
the box is put on, the contents should be pressed sufficiently 
to prevent the plants from shaking out of place. 
406. Puddling the Roots of Trees, i. e., dipping them 
in a paste of soil and water, is much practiced by nursery- - 
men, and tends to prevent them from drying. The paste 
should be made with rather light, loamy soil and of the 
consistency of cream. 
