TRANSPLANTING. 23 



taken in removing them to take with them as much soil as 

 will adhere to the roots ; then make a hole to receive the 

 plant, place it in, pouring some water to wash the fibres 

 down, then close the hole round the plant; by adopting 

 this plan, instead of watering after, as formerly done, the 

 plant does not feel so great a check. It is almost impossi- 

 ble to transplant without doing some little injury ; this will 

 be clearly seen by their drooping appearance for several 

 days after removal ; then a reaction takes place, and the 

 plants become vigorous and need no more attention. Some- 

 times plants removed will require shading when the weath- 

 er becomes warm and dry ; to counterbalance this drawback 

 the plants must also be watered every evening until suffi- 

 ciently recovered. Balsams^ China Asters, and a few other 

 fall flowering plants do best planted into thumb (one and a 

 half inch) pots and kept in the shade until well established, 

 and then transplanted into the open ground without diffi- 

 culty in the driest weather, for when the weather is dry 

 seedlings become too large to remove, by waiting for moist 

 weather their spongioles will be so abundant and large as 

 to endanger their removal j but if placed, when small, into 

 small pots and kept in the shade, these difficulties would be 

 avoided. When about to remove seedlings observe never 

 to replant them deeper in the ground than they were' in the 

 nursery-bed- It is a common practice, when plants are 

 drawn up through bad management, to place them deeper 

 for appearance sake ; but following two wrong courses will 

 still make it worse. Plants generally establish themselves 

 the regular way in the ground, and in transplanting this 

 should be borne in mind ; if drawn up they will do better 

 replanted in conformity to their growth, and do better than 



