MANNER OF TRANSPLANTING. 27 



advantages will amply repay the little extra care in 

 mulching, shading and watering. Ten or fifteen days' 

 later planting will, seriously lessen the first crop, accord- 

 ing to our observation. In spring planting, March will 

 answer south of Philadelphia, and last of April and 

 first of May for the north. None but careful, skilful 

 cultivators however should transplant in midsummer. 



MANNER OF TRANSPLANTING. 



The best way undoubtedly is, to take the first I'unners 

 as soon as fiiirly set, and remove them with a trans- 

 planting trowel, with the roots and earth undisturbed. 

 This however cannot be conveniently done, except the 

 plants are in the same garden with the new bed. Neither 

 have we ever found the first runners more productive 

 than the subsequent ones, unless they are stronger. 



In most cases, plants come from a distance, and 

 great care should be taken to get as large a proportion 

 of the numerous fibrous roots as possible ; and in 

 order to do this, the ground should always be well 

 saturated with Avater, either artificially or otherwise, 

 before the plants are taken up, and then the first 

 thing to be done, is to mud the roots, by dipping 

 them in a little mud-hole made in the garden soil, 

 where the water has been poured and stirred, until it 

 has become sufiiciently thickened with the soil to 

 leave a good coating of mud on the roots of the plants 



