THE OLD AND THE NEW. 



49 



using a dibber. But it is bard on a tender finger, especially 

 on tbe index finger, tbat bas to puncb tbe holes. Usually, 

 it is more convenient to make tbe boles witb a dibber, 

 wbicb may be simply a sharpened stick of hard wood, with 

 or without handle, or a dibber as illustrated in Fig. 19. 



Fig. 19. 



Steel Dibbek. 



Fig. 20. 



This is made of a piece of thin steel, seven and one-half 

 inches long and one and one-half inches wide, shaped and 

 supplied with handle or knob, as shown. 

 The surface should be finished off on an 

 emery wheel. 



Carefully pull the plants from the seed-bed 

 or flat. Straighten them out in bundles ; if 

 the fibrous roots are excessively long clip off 

 the ends, and also twist or cut off part of 

 the tops if they are rather long and weak. 

 You can get an idea about the way this 

 should be done by examining Fig. 20. The 

 untrimmed plants, if they are at all long and 

 unwieldy, are apt to lean or fall over, as 

 illustrated in Fig. 21, especially if the 

 weather and soil should be dry at the time 

 of setting. The tops also are liable to be 

 in the way of the wheel-hoe for some time, 

 and the patch has not that appearance of neatness found 

 where the plants were properly trimmed. As shown in 

 4 



Trimming the 

 Plants. 



