7G VEGETABLE GROWING. 



according to the variety, putting the plants five or six 

 inches apart in the row. Have the soil mellow and 

 deep ; stretch a line, and use a dibber for planting. 

 The surface of the land should be even and level. Cut 

 off the tips of the roots ; if they are quite long, one- 

 third of them can be cut off to advantage. Cut the 

 leaves back about the same proportion. Place the 

 plant into the hole made by the dibber, and press the 

 ground around it firmly. Mr. T. Greiner says: "If 

 you want to know if your work is done quite right, 

 take a good hold of one of the leaves and pull. If 

 the plant comes out of the ground, it was not firmly 

 set ; if the leaf breaks without loosening the plant, 

 all is right." In our sandy loam, we have to be a lit- 

 tle more moderate, but the soil must be pressed firmly 

 to the plant. In setting out, put the bud even with 

 the surface of the ground. The work of setting out 

 can be facilitated by cutting the roots and leaves to 

 the proper size before taking to the field. A strong 

 boy may be employed to hand the plants out in good 

 shape to the one doing the setting out. 



After setting, the plants must be watered unless the 

 setting out is done immediately after a rain. After 

 watering, as soon as the water has soaked into the 

 ground, rake a thin layer of dry soil over what has 

 been moistened. If it is after a rain, work the ground 

 lightly to give some loose soil on top. These direc- 

 tions, if followed out, will do much to conserve the 

 moisture. 



A few days before transplanting, the planfs should 

 be hardened off to lessen the shock of transplanting. 

 After having set the plants out, they should be shaded 

 to accustom them to the field gradually. The best de- 

 vice for this is an eight or ten-inch board placed ob- 

 liquely over the row. The board is secured by stakes, 



