FIRMING THE SOfL ABOUT THE ROOTS 51 



afforded (1) by carrying the supply of plants with their roots 

 submerged in a bucket of water; (2) by sprinkling the tops as 

 well as the roots; (3) by carrying the plants in a basket covered 

 with a wet sack; or (4) by having the roots of the plants encased 

 in a mass of moist soil. 



Means of Insuring Moisture following Transplanting. — There 

 are a number of different means of insuring that the plant shall 

 have a sufficient supply of moisture immediately following trans- 

 planting. These naturally fall into three different groups: (1) 

 Making sure that there is moist soil in close contact with the roots 

 of the plant at the time of transplanting; (2) preventing the dry- 

 ing out of the soil close to the plant after transplanting; (3) re- 

 ducing the rate of transpiration of water from the plant itself. 



In order that there may be moist soil in close contact with the 

 roots of the plants it is essential that the soil in the field where 

 the transplanting is to be done shall have been thoroughly worked 

 to render it fine and mellow. This working should have been done 

 while the soil was in ideal condition as to moisture, and if trans- 

 planting was not to take place until some time later, the surface 

 should have been stirred at frequent intervals in the meantime 

 in order to conserve the moisture in the layer of soil immediately 

 below. If this has been done, it is possible to transplant success- 

 fully even when the top soil is very dry, by scraping away the dry 

 soil where each plant is to be set and placing the roots of the plant 

 in the moist soil below. Of course, the operation of transplanting 

 can be carried on more readily if the soil is moist clear to the top, 

 for it is then unnecessary to hunt for moist soil. 



Firming the Soil about the Roots. — In all transplanting the 

 soil should be packed firmly about the roots of the plant. Mois- 

 ture in the soil is of no benefit to the plant unless it is in close 

 contact with the roots. Loose moist soil soon dries out. If the 

 soil is packed tightly about the roots of the plant (Fig. 24), not 

 only the moisture in the soil in immediate contact with the roots 

 will be available to them, but moisture will also be drawn to them 

 from adjacent soil by capillary action. The drier and looser the 

 soil the tighter it should be packed. 



Even when these precautions are taken, certain kinds of plants 

 that it is sometimes desirable to transplant seem unable to es- 

 tablish themselves in their new location. They are likely to wilt 

 and die before the roots have time to re-establish themselves. 

 Melons, squashes and cucumbers are striking examples of such 



