SETTING OUT SEEDLINGS 147 



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pipe and admire the sweet peas and the poppies 

 that are coming on so finely. You have a good day 

 for transplanting. It is cloudy and somewhat 

 damp. The little plants will like it. You shall set 

 them out, and I shall not look until they are all in 

 the ground, and then I shall come and admire. That 

 is what you wish, is it not? " 



"Ye-es," assented the young gardener, doubtfully, 

 as she sat down on the grass at the edge of the flower- 

 bed beside the flat of young asters. 



"It 's easy enough after the first plant 's out, but it 

 seems quite hard to take the first plant out without 

 hurting anything," she observed after a moment's 

 silence. "A trowel 's too big to put in the box ; 

 there is n't any tool just just suitable." 



"There is a flat pot-label in my pocket," remarked 

 Herr Trommel to the sweet peas ; "I have known it 

 to be convenient." 



"I think I will try a pot-label, if you have it with 

 you," said Mary. "Could n't you poke it through 

 the lattice ? " 



This implement seemed to be successful, and there 

 was silence for a few minutes. "You make the hole 

 deeper than the roots are long," remarked the 

 under-gardener, after Mr. Trommel's fashion ; "that 



