PLANTING. 27 



of the boot, afterwards scraping some 

 loose earth around the plant with the 

 trowel and fingers, to prevent the earth 

 baking. 



To ascertain how many plants are 

 required for an acre, multiply the dis- Fi &- 3 

 tance apart of the rows in feet by the distance apart 

 of the plants in the rows, and divide the product into 

 43,560. Thus, if the rows are four feet apart and the 

 plants two feet, it will take 5,445 to plant an acre. 



A spading fork or small sized potato hook are two 

 good implements for taking up plants for setting. 

 A trowel is too slow. Rake the beds with a good steel 

 rake before digging, which takes off most of the old 

 runners and leaves the plants in good 

 condition for cleaning. 



If the plants are in plant beds dig up 

 the whole row, throwing out the old 

 plants. If plants are to be taken from a 



Fig. 4 fraiting bed dig from the side of the rows. 



As fast as shaken from the soil have men and boys 

 gather them up, holding the plants in the left hand. 

 Crown of the plants as near even as possible, and 

 when the hand is full trim off all runners and lay in a 

 handle basket, roots straight, and all one way. 



Take to the packing house. Clean and bunch 

 them and dip the roots in water, and if to 

 be shipped, pack in moss and forward as 

 soon as possible. If to be set out at 

 home, put them in the cellar for twenty- 

 four hours before planting. The tip 

 ends of the roots are cut off just before ^ 

 setting. "pig. 5' 



