The Canadian Horticulturist. 139 



or bruised. It is handsomely painted and lettered in gold, and provided with a 

 large gong bell so I can let people who do not buy regularly know I am in the 

 vicinity, as I only call at the door of customers who purchase every day. Cus- 

 tomers decide on what they want before I get to the door. I provide each one 

 with a properly printed season card, which they bring to the door and have their 

 order charged, and they pay weekly. Women don't usually have change, and 

 would go without fruit if they had to pay each time ; besides, making change 

 takes a great deal of valuable time." 



Some good hints about planting are also given. For marking the rows, his 

 plan is thus given : Take a small rope, say one-half inch in diameter and the 

 length of the field, one man at each end with a stick as long as the rows are to 

 be apart, so as to have all the rows exactly even. We set three and one-half feet 

 for slow growers, and four feet for those having large foliage. Draw the line 

 perfectly straight and lay it on the ground, drawing it back and forth a few 

 inches, and the mark is quickly made. If, for any cause, it will not make the 

 mark sufficiently plain, each man takes a hoe, rubbing the back of the edge on 

 the rope till they meet in the middle of the field. The work can be done very 

 rapidly. 



Most growers use a marker making a furrow two or three inches wide and 

 the same depth ; it is sure to dodge around, making crooked rows, and it is 

 impossible to tell how deep the plants should be put in ; besides, the dry, loose 

 dirt is always falling in the openings for the plant. The ground cannot be har- 

 rowed through the plants, as recommended elsewhere, on account of the uneven - 

 ness of the crowns, causing many times as much work as if done according to 

 our directions. 



Digging the Plants. — The most convenient thing to carry the plants from the 

 propagating bed to the field is a common market basket. Place a whole sheet of 

 manilla wrapping paper in the bottom so as to hold about an inch of water, which 

 it will readily do for several hours. Take up the plants with a four-tine spading 

 fork and shake the dirt off the roots carefully so as not to injure roots or crowns, 

 and remove all dead leaves, and, if growth has started much, a part of the green 

 leaves should be taken off. Take a handful of plants with crowns as even as pos- 

 sible and cut the roots back to abbut five inches. A number of new roots will 

 start out where the roots are cut off, greatly increasing their number, occupying 

 every particle of soil, which will greatly increase their growth and vigor. 



Setting the Fla7its. —InsQri a common spade directly in the mark about seven 

 inches deep, push it from you so as to make an opening about one inch wide, then 

 bring it towards you far enough to raise the soil so as to leave a small chamber 

 at the extreme bottom, so that all loose and dry dirt will fall clear down out of 

 the way. Withdraw the spade and pass along as rapidly as you *an do the work 

 well. Put Wilson plants about twelve to fourteen inches apart, and eighteen 

 inches for the free-growing kinds, like Crescent, Haverland, etc. 



