290 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



get to be large, strong, hardy plants, with very large, fibrous roots. When 

 all danger of frost is over, take a sharp spade and cut out a square of dirt 

 with each plant, put into rows six feet apart, with the plants the same 

 distance in the row. Plants can be transplanted in this way when over a 

 foot high and in blossom. By transplanting them just at night, or on a 

 cloudy day, they will hardly ever show a wilted leaf. 



Another way to secure large plants for garden planting is to 

 start them in a seed box, in the house, or with bottom heat as de- 

 scribed in the chapter on propagation, and then transplant when 

 small, into growing cases made of discarded fruit cans. Select 

 those of similar size, throw them on a burning brush pile for a few 

 minutes, when the tops and bottoms will drop out, and the seams 

 on the sides will open, leaving a smooth, tin shell. Tie a string 

 around each to keep it from spreading. Set them in a box or frame 

 made of four boards. Fill the cans and the spaces between them 

 with good friable soil, set a small plant in the center of each shell, 

 sprinkle well and keep moist. When the plants are well grown 

 they may be transplanted in the garden. Take the cans carefully 

 out of the frames, grasping the cans firmly to prevent the plants 

 and soil slipping out; set them in a box or wheelbarrow and move 

 them where wanted. Prepare the soil by working in a shovelful of 

 well-rotted manure where a plant is to stand, but this is not required 

 if the soil is rich. Dig a hole deep enough to set the upper rim of 

 the can level with the ground, cut the string and fill up and press 

 the soil firmly around the can, then by spreading the top of the can 

 . trifle, it can be drawn out over the plants without disturbing the 

 roots. If the weather is dry and warm, water may be used at 

 transplanting drawing loose soil around the plant after the water 

 soaks away. 



Planting in the Field. The above methods will produce plant? 

 of great size and vigor to delight the amateur. For a field crop it 

 is hardly practicable to grow and handle plants in such an expensive 

 way, and satisfactory results can be attained with much less labor. 

 For late planting they may be grown in quantity in a cold frame 

 with cloth cover or in a raised bed with slight protection from frost 

 and sheltered from cold winds, or even on the open ground in frost- 

 less places. Large quantities are often grown from the seed by 

 simply thinning the seedlings as they stand, though the trans- 

 planted seedlings are always more thrifty and stocky. They have 

 a much better root-system, and grow more thriftily after trans- 

 planting. Take the seedlings when they have come in the rough 



