108 GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 



shingle stuck in the ground on the sunny side of a plant will 

 cast grateful shade, to which it may owe its life. In a word, 

 use every ingenious means that suggests itself to guard agamst 

 the loss of moisture by evaporation between the time of tak- 

 ing up a plant and that of resetting it. Few realize that little 

 seedlings get limp by sheer exposure to the wind. Lay over 

 them, therefore, a dampened cloth as they lie waiting in the 

 heat or in a draft. 



There is a noticeable difference in thc'ability of plants to 

 stand the shock of a change in position. Tomatoes, cabbages, 

 and lettuce are among those sturdy ones that may be depended 

 upon to transplant well. Tomato seedlings lead a charmed 

 life, — you simply cannot kill them ; but other plants, such 

 as the cucumber, squash, pea, and morning-glory stubbornly 

 refuse to prosper. Nevertheless, even these capricious plants 

 will sometimes yield to coaxing, provided they have been 

 started in some small receptacle like a berry basket or paper 

 flowerpot, which can be broken away without wrenching their 

 systems. A class of children one year started some lettuce seed 

 in eggshells. These fragile cradles, though^ so tiny, proved 

 in every way satisfactory, for a gentle squeeze was enough 

 to crush the shell as the plant was being introduced into its 

 new home. Was it not the custom of Mrs. Thaxter, the 

 ardent friend of children and of flowers, to raise in eggshells 

 the seeds for that beloved garden of hers at Appledore ? 



Shrubs and trees should be transplanted according to the 

 principles just described, except that the season for their re- 

 moval is restricted to autumn and spring. Stout roots cannot 

 be torn from their home at the height of their activity and 

 still live ; but after the period of active service is over for the 

 year, or before it begins, if treated kindly they will not suffer. 



As for small fruits, a strawberry bed is most practical, 

 while currant, gooseberry, and raspberry make themselves 



