116 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



Growing Plants in Separate Containers. Planting out small 

 seedlings in separate receptacles like berry baskets, paper flower 

 pots, etc., will secure strong development of single plants, if these 

 containers can be handled in a way to prevent too free circulation 

 of air around them and too great drying out. If this is not done, 

 the plants in the seed-beds or seed-boxes will show greater thrift, 

 To secure better moisture and at the same time great facility in 

 planting out, this method is commended. 



Take common printer's cardboard and have it cut into strips 4x22 inches. 

 By folding these tightly around a block of wood 3 by 3 inches wide and 4 

 inches high, slipping off and putting in a pin, we have a square pot with no 

 bottom. These are pressed flat and packed a thousand in a bunch for conven- 

 ience, until wanted. When ready to use, open, give a quick pinch on the cor- 

 ners not folded, and the box will stand almost perfectly square. These fit 

 nicely together and can be opened, shaped and set rapidly. Place several rows 

 at a time, drop a little well-rotted manure in each one, press down, then fill in 

 the soil with a shovel, set a plant in each box, then fill in more soil until the 

 boxes cannot be seen. This prevents the air from getting in and drying too 

 rapidly. When ready for the field slip a trowel under and place them on a 

 sled to haul out to the field. The manure serves every purpose of a paper 

 bottom in preventing soil and plant from dropping out, and it does not inter- 

 fere with the moisture either going down or coming up. It is not so neces- 

 sary to remove these boxes when planting out, and if we do wish to take them 

 off they are much more easily removed than those with bottoms. 



Planting Seedlings. The points to observe for planting out 

 seedlings in the open air are almost exactly the same as those al- 

 ready given in this chapter for the arrangement of proper moisture 

 conditions for seed germination. Depth of planting depends upon 

 the same conditions ; firming of the soil about the rootlets is for the 

 same reasons; a loose surface above and frequent cultivation after- 

 ward are essential because of considerations already described. The 

 judicious use of water at transplanting, by pouring it in the hole or 

 running it along in the drill or furrow, is a very important point in 

 late work or in planting out when the season is rather dry, but the 

 use of water must always be followed, when the soil has dried some- 

 what, by stirring of the surface or other means of preventing evap- 

 oration or else the plants will dwindle and on investigation the dead 

 stem will be found to resemble a match stuck in on unburned brick, 

 if the soil is at all heavy in its nature. 



Seedlings to be planted in the field for horse cultivation are 

 distanced by the use of a marker, as described in the chapter on 

 laying off. In small garden beds for hand work, the plants can be 

 very accurately distanced both ways by using a "planting board/' 

 It is made of a width equal to the desired distance between the 

 rows and of a length equal to the width of the bed, and is carefully 

 cut, by the use of a carpenter's square, so that the ends are exactly 

 at right angles to the sides. By stretching a line along the length 

 of the bed, and making one end of the board true with that line, the 

 sides of the board will mark two parallel lines across the bed and 

 notches cut at desired distances in the sides of the board will show 



