PREPARATION OF A PLANT-BED. 37 



PREPARATION OF A 



Plant-beds are very largely employed in the South 

 for raising seedlings, especially tobacco. A cold- 

 frame will serve every purpose of a plant bed for 

 raising seedlings, and has many advantages. Seed- 

 lings, after growing to a size that are easily handled, 

 are often planted in a bed for further maturing ; this 

 is especially so when large quantities of tomato, cab- 

 bage or celery plants are wanted. The advantage of 

 having these plants in as small a space as practicable 

 is apparent to all. The plant-bed must be very fertile, 

 and have plenty of water to be used in case of need. 

 The ground should be raked carefully, the fertilizer 

 applied, and the bed spaded or plowed and then raked 

 again. The bed should lie a week or ten days to allow 

 the fertilizer to be incorporated, when the plants may 

 be set out. Plants should not be allowed to become 

 checked in their growth at any time. It does plants 

 good to be transferred several times, and with some 

 vegetables such transplanting is profitable ; but, for 

 plants to come to a standstill for want of water or fer- 

 tilizer, works a detriment that is strikingly noticeable 

 in the crop. Hence, in the transplantings, great care 

 should be taken as to moisture, temperature and soil, 

 so that growth may not be checked. 



