VEGETABLE PLANTS. 87 



spark of life is left. A winter covering of straw 

 or forest leaves is therefore indispensable, and 

 the cultivator who plants a larger area than he 

 can cover, throws his labor away. 



PACKING PLANTS FOR TRANSPORTATION. 

 If to be sent but a short distance, no particular 

 care will be required in packing, further than 

 to lay them evenly and securely. The roots 

 should be dipped in water in order that they 

 may be kept moist, and the plants retain their 

 freshness ; but the tops must be packed dry. 

 What we must particularly guard against is the 

 liability of the plants to heat, when they will 

 turn yellow and commence to decay rapidly. 



We have experimented a great deal on this 

 matter of packing, and will endeavor to de- 

 scribe the method which seems most satisfac- 

 tory. The plants when pulled are counted out 

 in bunches of one hundred each. After dipping 

 the roots in water, two layers are placed in the 

 box, the roots toward each other. Slightly 

 damp moss is packed on and between the roots 

 to retain moisture there. If to remain packed 

 over twenty-four hours, some perfectly dry 

 hay or straw must be packed in alternate lay- 

 ers with the tops, say one inch of this packing 

 to every three or four inches of plants. In 



