THE PRODUCTION OF PLANTS 49 



Substitutes for Transplanting. — As a substitute 

 for transplanting, a number of the northern growers 

 employ a method of cutting under the plants and 

 thus severing the straight root. This root pruning 

 is generally performed ten days or two weeks before 

 the plants are required for setting in the field, and 

 causes numerous fibrous roots to be' formed around 

 the remaining portion of the straight root. The 

 work of cutting the roots is executed by means of 



FIG. l8 — TRANSPLANTING CELERY PLANTS IN FLORIDA 

 (Photo by Prof. W. G. Johnson) 



some form of blade that can be run at a depth of 

 about 2 inches below the surface of the soil. One 

 of these cutting devices, as shown in Fig. 17, con- 

 sists of a sharpened blade mounted on a 

 frame and wheels similar to those of a warehouse 

 truck. The blade can be adjusted to any desired 

 depth and is removable for sharpening. Cutting the 



