THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 227 



Place a finger on each side of the seedling and press the 

 soil down gently, but exercise care in handling the stalk ; 

 if that is bruised, the chances are that your plant will die. 

 The soil must be close around the roots, so that the lower 

 as well as the upper part of the hole is well filled. If a 

 space is left below the roots, the plant will be unable to 

 obtain either proper support or food. 



Watering. After all the seedlings have been put in 

 place, water them with a sprinkler. Hold it a short dis- 

 tance above the plants, so that the water will come down 

 upon them with sufficient force to settle the soil around 

 the roots. Keep the plants under a glass cover for at 

 least a week (see Fig. 118). Tumblers may be inverted 

 over plants in pots or cans. The amount of water they 

 will need from time to time depends upon the condition 

 of the room and the nature of the soil. It must be suffi- 

 cient to reach all the roots ; merely wetting the surface 

 does little good. The holes for drainage must be kept 

 open, so that the soil will not become too wet. If it fills 

 with water, the plants will die for want of air. 



Light. The seedlings should be kept out of the direct 

 rays of the sun for two or three days after planting ; then 

 they may be placed as near the windowpane as possible. 

 Turn them daily, so that they will not grow one-sided. 



Cultivation. If the soil hardens, dig up the upper 

 layer with a knife blade and crush the small clods with 

 the fingers. A loose layer on top will admit air into 

 the soil and help it to retain moisture. Water the soil 

 in the evening and cultivate it the next morning. 



