236 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



air and clouds obscure the sun, and if the plants can be set before 

 a shower there will be no difficulty in getting them to grow. Dur- 

 ing seasons when there is very little rain at planting time, or in 

 irrigated regions, evening is the best time to set the plants. It is 

 possible to set plants in quite dry soil, provided the roots are puddled 

 and the earth well packed about them. When water is used in 

 setting plants it should be applied after the hole has been partially 

 filled, and the moist earth should then be covered with dry soil to 

 prevent baking. Where water is available for irrigation it will be 

 sufficient to puddle the roots and then irrigate after the plants are 

 all in place. Plants should be set a trifle deeper in the garden 

 than they were in the plant bed. The majority of plants require 

 to be set upright, and where the dibble is used for planting care 

 should be taken that the soil is well pressed around the roots and no 

 air spaces left. 



PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID ATTACKS OF INSECTS AND DISEASES. 



In the control of insects and diseases that infest garden crops 

 it is often possible to accomplish a great amount of good by careful 

 sanitary management. In the autumn, after the crops have been 

 harvested, or as fast as any crop is disposed of, any refuse that 

 remains should be gathered and placed in the compost heap, or 

 burned if diseased or infested with insects. Several of the garden 

 insects find protection during the winter under boards and any loose 

 material that may remain in the garden. Dead vines or leaves 

 of plants are frequently covered with spores of diseases that affect 

 those crops during the growing season, and these should be burned, 

 as they possess very little fertilizing value. 



PROTECTION OF PLANTS. 



Some plants require protection from the direct rays of the sun 

 in summer or from cold in winter, and there are many that need 

 special protection while they are quite small. Seedlings of many 

 of the garden crops are unable to force their way through the crust 

 formed on the soil after heavy rains, and it is necessary either to 

 break the crust with a steel rake or soften it by watering. 



In parts of the country where the sunshine is extremely hot 

 during a part of the summer, some plants, especially those that are 

 grown for salad purposes, are benefited by shading. Shading is 

 often used in the care of small plants when they are first trans- 

 planted. 



Where boards are available they can be used for protecting 

 plants that have been set in rows in the garden by placing them 

 on the south side of the row at an angle that will cast a shadow over 

 the plants, and holding them in place by short stakes driven in the 

 ground. Laths, wooden slats, cotton cloth, or shaded sash are fre- 

 quently used to protect plant beds from the heat of summer. 



For protecting plants from cold in winter several kinds of ma- 

 terials are used, such as boards, cloth, pine boughs, straw, manure, 

 or leaves. There are a number of crops of a tropical nature that 

 may be grown far north, provided they are properly protected during 

 the winter. 



