TRANSPLANTING 15 



preventive measure is to prick them off as soon as they are 

 large enough to handle, and this, as we have before pointed out, 

 goes to prove our point in favour of sowing thinly. Until such 

 time as " pricking off " can be attended to, the watering of 

 the seedlings is a very delicate task, for whether overdone or 

 not sufficiently watered, the " damping off " is almost inevit- 

 able. Experience alone can impart the skill to effect the 

 happy medium. 



TRANSPLANTING 



" Pricking off " or transplanting into stores is the first 

 important operation in the life of a seedling, and this work, 

 though so simple that it may be entrusted to juniors, really 

 requires care and a due regard to the building up of the plant. 

 Pots, pans or boxes, whatever vehicles are used, should be 

 prepared in the way we explained for seed-sowing, but the 

 compost used may contain a larger proportion of plant foods, 

 though it must not err on the side of richness. It must be 

 well firmed, though not hardened, in order to make a secure 

 anchorage for the roots to lay hold of, and this will ensure a 

 more perfect drainage than if it was soft and loose. 



With a small dibble, made of any hard wood about 6 inches 

 long, make holes in the soil, but only to a depth which permits the 

 roots to touch bottom. This question of depth is very important, 

 for many thousands of seedlings perish every season through 

 being " hanged " in the soil that is, there is a space between 

 the tips of the root and the firm bottom of the hole, so that 

 the root cannot find holding and feeding ground. Lift the 

 seedlings carefully, prising them up with the dibble, then 

 separate them carefully so as not to break the slender roots, 

 which must be dropped perpendicularly into the hole, being 

 held in situ with the thumb and finger of the left hand. Then 

 with the right hand select a spot an inch away from the hole, 

 and press the dibble in diagonally, aiming at the base of the roots 

 and making the soil firm about them. Aim at the roots and 

 not at the stalk. Novices usually are concerned to make the 

 plants tight about the collar, but the expert takes little heed 

 as to whether they are tight or loose at the collar, provided 



