LUTHER BURBANK 



Young seedlings may be killed by a common 

 fungus which causes "damping off." This is very 

 destructive where plants are grown too thickly 

 in the seed boxes especially in a close atmosphere 

 before transplanting. Sometimes a whole box 

 containing thousands of valued seedlings will be 

 destroyed in this way in a few hours, the trouble 

 generally commencing in little spots or patches 

 from which it rapidly spreads in all directions. 



The tiny plants may most often be saved after 

 the fungus starts by applying a dusting of sulphur 

 or of coarse, dry sand or gravel. Sometimes if 

 placed in a cool, dry atmosphere so that the excess 

 of moisture is evaporated they may be saved. 



The gravel, mentioned as sprinkled over the 

 moss when the seeds are planted, is the first and 

 best preventive of damping off. It covers the 

 soil with a substance on which the fungus cannot 

 readily establish itself, and thus separates the 

 unhealthy from the healthy plants. If good care 

 in general is supplemented by the use of this dry 

 sand or gravel, the fungus has little chance to 

 spread from plant to plant. 



Of course, one is obliged to be on the lookout 

 for insect pests, slugs, cut-worms, crickets, aphides, 

 and thrip, which are sometimes very destructive. 

 Slugs, cut-worms, and crickets require instant 

 attention when they first attack the young plants. 



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