292 LUTHER BURBANK 



their roots fast enough to keep up with the grad- 

 ually disappearing moisture, and so might die of 

 thirst. 



When seedlings are removed from the protec- 

 tion of the glass house to the open air, or in trans- 

 planting in the fields, it is best, if possible, to 

 choose a time when there are no severe winds, 

 and when the sun is not too hot and the atmos- 

 phere neither too dry nor too chilly. 



Generally in California tender plants best with- 

 stand moving from the greenhouse to the open 

 air just before or during a warm rain. At such 

 times the atmosphere is similar to that in the 

 greenhouse. Even under the most favorable 

 circumstances they must be shielded from 

 w r inds or bright sunlight to which they are 

 not adapted. 



To accustom the tender seedlings to outdoor 

 conditions, the flats are placed in square frames 

 about six feet wide and a foot or two high. These 

 are covered with a portable covering made of 

 common laths nailed on narrow strips of board, 

 so placed that the space between the laths is about 

 equal to the width of a single lath. 



When the boxes of plants are placed in these 

 frames, it is best to have some slats underneath 

 so they will not rest on the ground; otherwise 

 fungous diseases are often communicated from 



