Planting 173 



HOW TO PLANT. Cut back the foliage to two 

 to six inches, making the outer (the oldest) leaves 

 the shortest, thus making the cluster spear-shaped 

 instead of fan-shaped. The leaves are cut back to 

 check evaporation until roots get started enough to 

 assimilate food for the new growth. The reason for 

 shaping as suggested will be readily understood when 

 it is considered how the new leaves are produced 

 a matter referred to under Foliage, page 123. Cut 

 away entirely all old, decayed and dried roots, and 

 shorten the others to conveniently manageable length 

 (usually seven or eight inches); if any of the latter 

 have been broken or bruised cut them back to sound, 

 fresh tissue. Sound plump roots under seven or eight 

 inches in length it is not necessary to shorten. For 

 the reason for not shortening sound roots to any 

 greater extent, see Roots, page 120. If the planting 

 is done later in the year than September, it will be 

 well to leave the sound roots full length, as additional 

 resistance to heaving. 



Having dug the ground at least a spade deep 

 deeper would be better and provided for drainage 

 as suggested under Where to Plant, page 157, dig a 

 hole a little larger than may be necessary to allow 

 the roots to be spread at full length, and make a 

 mound in the center steep, that the extremities of 

 the roots may be placed deep in the ground with 

 the top a little (about the thickness of the rhizome) 

 below the level of the surrounding surface of the 

 mound. Place the rhizome flat on the mound and 

 press it down, and after spreading the roots in a 

 slanting way downward over the mound, in order 



