HANDLING YOUNG PLANTS. 95 



plenty of air is given night and day when the 

 weather permits. As the plants are never put out 

 in this way until the first or middle of April no heat 

 is required. In case soil is used care is taken to 

 add about three inches of good rotten manure to 

 ordinary garden soil. The manure is thoroughly 

 worked in and the ground is made as fine as it is 

 possible to make it with rake and spade. It should 

 never be packed. When smoothed off set the 

 plants the same as described for sand. In both 

 cases the plants must be watched carefully and 

 syringed every bright day in order to keep down 

 red spider, taking care not to over- wet the soil. In 

 six or eight weeks after setting in frames as 

 described, the plants will be ready to transplant to 

 the place where they are to make their summer 

 growth. 



There are many objections to propagating 

 plants in this way and the best growers have long 

 since abandoned it. In dividing the crown, and 

 thereby carrying over each year some of the old 

 roots, various diseases affecting the former are 

 carried over also, and if the practice is continued 

 from year to year the tendency is to gradually 

 develop a weak, non-resistant stock. The grower 

 in such cases gradually finds himself losing his 

 ability to get good plants and usually satisfies his 

 conscience by saying that luck is against him. We 

 have examined thousands of apparently strong, 

 vigorous plants, after being lifted in the spring 



