Transplanting. 227 



A LIFTING THE PLANT. 



402. The object to be attained in this operation should 

 be to remove the roots from the soil with the least possi- 

 ble damage consistent with reasonable economy of time 

 and labor. Plants in low vigor should receive especial 

 care in this respect. Very young plants, as of tobacco, 

 cabbage, lettuce etc., grown thickly in the seed-bed, are 

 often pulled from the soil with the hands. In this 

 case, the soil of the bed should first be saturated with 

 water, in order that the roots may be broken as little as 

 possible, and may come up .with more or less adhering 

 soil. It is generally preferable to grow such plants in 

 drills rather than broadcast. This enables them to be 

 drawn from the soil with less damage to their roots. 



Trees and shrubs sufficiently grown for their final 

 planting out should be more carefully handled. If it is 

 necessary to cut off the main roots, the farther from the 

 trunk this is done, the better for the tree, and the spade 

 used should be kept as sharp as possible. The roots should 

 not be barked, mangled or split by the digging tools, as is so 

 often done with nursery stock. When possible, one per- 

 son should lift on the tree or shrub, while another re- 

 moves the earth from about the roots. Tree- digging 

 machines are now much used by the larger nurserymen. 



403. Lifting Large Trees. Trees considerably larger 

 than nursery sizes are best lifted when the ground is 

 frozen about their roots. A trench may be dug about 

 the tree before the ground freezes, deep enough to per- 

 mit the severing of the main roots, and a hole for the 

 reception of the cylinder of earth left within the trench 

 should also be dug at the place to which it is desired to 



