88 THE FIRST BOOK OF FARMING 



the soil is moist and freshly stirred, new roots will 

 generally start in a very short time. 



Plants that have been grown in pots, small boxes 

 or tin cans, as tomatoes and eggplants are some- 

 times grown, may be quickly transplanted in the 

 field in the following manner : Open the furrow 

 with a small plow, knock the plants out of the pots 

 or cans and place them along the land side of the 

 furrow at the proper distances, then turn the soil 

 back against them with the plow. 



When there is a large number of plants to be set, 

 as in planting cabbage, sweet potatoes, etc., by the 

 acre, it is not always convenient to wait for a cloudy 

 day or to defer operations till the sun is low in the 

 afternoon. In such cases the roots of the plants 

 should be dipped in water or in thin mud just be- 

 fore setting them, or a little water may be poured 

 into each hole as the plant is put in. The soil 

 should always be well firmed about the roots. The 

 firming of the soil about the roots of a newly set 

 plant is as important as firming it over planted 

 seeds. The soil should be packed so tightly that 

 the individual leaves will be torn off when an at- 

 tempt is made to pull the plant up by them. 



In dry or warm weather it is a good plan to trim 

 the tops of plants when setting them. This can 

 be done readily with some plants, such as cabbage 

 and lettuce, by taking a bundle of them in one hand 

 and with the other twisting off about half of their 

 tops. 



The proper time to transplant fruit and orna- 



