SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS 



ing too sudden a transfer from greenhouse to 

 field. It is well to accustom the seedlings to out- 

 of-door conditions by placing the boxes at first 

 in propagating beds, surrounded by high boards, 

 and covered with frames made of laths nailed on 

 narrow strips of board in such a way that the 

 spaces between the laths are about equal to the 

 width of a single lath. 



These frames give partial protection from sun 

 and wind and prepare the seedlings for open-air 

 conditions. 



In making the final transplantation, it is well 

 to take the boxes to the field so that each plant 

 is transferred with the least possible exposure. 

 In California tender plants best withstand mov- 

 ing from the greenhouse to the open air just be- 

 fore or during a warm rain, the atmospheric con- 

 ditions at this time being similar to those of a 

 greenhouse. 



The final transplanting is done with a trowel, 

 taking up enough dirt to include all the roots. 

 Mark the rows with a guard line, and make a 

 long narrow crevice by inserting a flat spade and 

 moving the handle back and forth gently. Be sure 

 that the crevice is deep enough to take in the 

 roots of the plant fully extended. Plant the seed- 

 ling a little deeper than it grew in the box, and 

 draw the soil about it and pack it quite firmly 

 against the roots. Use the common garden rake 

 in leveling and loosening up the soil along each 

 side of the row to prevent " baking," and to keep 

 the temperature equable and the soil moist. 



[53] 



