102 AGRICULTURE ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE 



holding the plant with the left hand and pressing down 

 the soil with the right. When it is all done, press down 

 the earth with your foot and then pour on enough water 

 to moisten the roots. At first the roots cannot take 

 up water very fast, and so we must watch the plant 

 and, if necessary, shade it from the sun. 



If we wish to transplant a tree, we must wait until the 

 leaves are off. Trees such as pines, which do not drop 

 their leaves, should be transplanted in fall or winter, 

 because then less water is escaping from their leaves. 



It is a good plan to see that after as well as before 

 transplanting the same side of the tree faces north. 



Do not let a crust form on the soil about the plants, 

 but break it up and form a mulch. This keeps the soil 

 moist, so that the roots can do their work in the best 

 way. 



If a root is bruised or broken, cut it off with a sharp 

 knife. If you leave it on the plant, it will decay and the 

 decay may spread to the other roots, killing the plant. 



The great secret of transplanting is not to hurt the 

 roots, and not to let the plant get too dry while being 

 transplanted or just afterward. A good way to plant 

 trees without injuring the roots is to raise them in tin 

 cans, and plant them can and all without disturbing 

 the roots. The can quickly rusts and the roots make 

 their way right through it. A cut in the form of a cross 

 is sometimes made in the bottom and the flaps turned 

 back when planting, in order to aid the roots in escaping. 



