PLANTS BY MAIL. 223 



worst of it ; three-fourths of the plants were dead our 

 usual experience in shipments of plants from Europe. This 

 loss is, without doubt, in most cases occasioned by the 

 cumbrous manner of packing. 



When the weather becomes settled, so that all danger 

 of plants being chilled is over, we change our mode of 

 packing the plants from laying them down to standing 

 them upright in the baskets or boxes, beginning with the 

 heaviest plants at the bottom of the box or basket, and 

 placing each succeeding layer, to the depth of three or 

 four, one ball of roots on the top of the other. After 

 packing, the box or basket is watered freely, each plant, 

 or at least a portion of it, is exposed to the light, and thus 

 packed, they will remain ten or twelve days without injury. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



PLANTS BY MAIL. 



Our postal laws admit plants, seeds, and bulbs, to be 

 sent at the cost of two cents for four ounces, provided the 

 package does not exceed four pounds in weight. This ar- 

 rangement has been the means of sending seeds and plants 

 into regions where they would not for many years have 

 been procurable with other means of conveyance, and the 

 projector of the idea deserves the gratitude of the nation 

 for it. A number of different contrivances have been 

 invented for packing plants to go by mail, including 

 boxes of various styles and dimensions ; the main difficulty 

 with all that we have seen is the weight. Of late years 

 we have dispensed with boxes of all kinds, and pack in the 

 following manner. Having selected the plants, choosing 

 such as are small but well rooted, the soil is washed from 



