228 Home Vegetable Gardening 



are used, filling these with soil from the bed and 

 plunging, or burying, them level with the surface, 

 just below where the crown is to be formed, and 

 holding the vine in place with a small stone, which 

 serves the additional purpose of marking where the 

 pot is. In either case these layers are made after 

 the fruiting season. 



SETTING THE PLANTS 



In using the soil-rooted layers, it is generally 

 more satisfactory to set them out in spring, as soon 

 as the ground can be worked, although they are 

 sometimes set in early fall — August or September — 

 when the ground is in very good condition, so that 

 a good growth can at once be made. Care should 

 be used in transplanting. Have the bed fresh; keep 

 the plants out of the soil as short a time as possible; 

 set the plants in straight, and firm the soil ; set just 

 down to the crown — do not cover it. If the soil is 

 dry, or the season late, cut off all old leaves before 

 planting; also shorten back the roots about one- 

 third and be sure not to crowd them when setting, 

 for which purpose a trowel, not a dibble, should be 

 used if the condition of the ground makes the use 

 of any implement necessary. If so dry that water 

 must be used, apply it in the bottom of the hole. 

 If very hot and dry, shade for a day or two. 



