TRANSPLANTING. 1 ] 5 



firm the plant by each planter returning on his row and 

 treading the soil around plants firmly with the feet. I 

 am thus particular in describing a simple matter, know- 

 ing well that millions of plants are annually lost by 

 inattention to this firming of the soil. The same rule is 

 applicable to transplanting of all kinds, trees, shrubs, or 

 vegetables. Instead of "puddling" the roots in mud, 

 we prefer to keep the plants dripping wet during the 

 whole time of planting, so that each plant, as it is put in 

 the soil, puddles itself by the particles of soil adhering 

 to the wet root. Besides, the leaves of the plant, being- 

 wet, will for some time resist the action of the dry air. 



PLANTING OF VEGETABLE PLANTS. A year or two 

 ago, about the middle of .April, the snow, after its long 

 acquaintance with us during the past winter, intruded 

 itself again in the spring and covered our newly-planted 

 gardens to the depth of several inches. Veteran tillers 

 of the soil could smile at this assault, knowing it to be 

 harmless. But correspondents, still young in the busi- 

 ness, wrote to me fearing their planted crops were ruined. 



A snow, after planting in spring, I have never known 

 to injure plants of any kind, unless, indeed, it was heavy 

 enough to break. them. The fear of snow, and of the 

 slight late frosts, often prevents the setting of such plants 

 as Cabbage, Lettuce, and even Asparagus, among vegeta- 

 bles, and of Strawberries and other small fruits, until the 

 season is so far advanced that hot weather comes on, 

 starting the tops before the foots have had time to get a 

 foothold. There is rarely danger (when the ground is 

 sufficiently dry to work, and it never should be worked 

 until it is so), that such hardy or half-hardy plants as we 

 plant in spring will be injured by any frost that may 

 come after they are put out. This opening up for spring 

 work usually begins here by the end of March, and I 

 have never yet seen plants injured by frost after that 

 time. 



