SEEDS AND SEEDING 113 



the best results. It is generally unwise to set the 

 original roots at too great a depth because they will 

 not receive the right amounts of air for their proper 

 development, and growth is likely to be slow and 

 unsatisfactory until new roots develop from the 

 stems nearer the surface. A much better plan is 

 to open up a furrow of about the usual depth for 

 transplanting and lay the plant down in the 

 same, covering the root and a portion of the stem, 

 turning up the desired amount of the tip at the 

 point 7/here the plant is to grow. This places the roots 

 at the proper depth for root development and new roots 

 likewise develop very rapidly along the buried stem. 

 In transplanting all plants that have become rather 

 large, it is important that some of the larger lower 

 leaves be removed. These leaves usually dry out 

 and drop off anyhow, and if removed at the time of 

 transplanting transpiration or loss of moisture from 

 the top will be greatly lessened while the roots are 

 gaining a fqothold in the soil. The practice of 

 starting plants under glass to be transplanted to 

 field conditions has come to be so extensive 

 and of such an integral part of commercial vegetable 

 gardening that in the vicinity of the larger veg- 

 etable-growing sections great enterprises have been 

 built up in the growing of plants for transplanting 

 purposes. It often happens in the garden busi- 

 ness that on account of a bad lot of seed, unusual 

 weather conditions or attacks of insects and dis- 

 eases the entire crop of plants started by the gar- 

 dener will be almost a total loss. These firms very 

 satisfactorily meet such conditions and enable the 

 gardener to avoid enormous losses. The business is a 

 comparatively young one, but is rapidly growing and 

 developing in the larger truck-growing centers. 



