VEGETABLE GARDENING 43 
‘“Hardening off’’ is the term applied to accustoming 
the plants to the open weather conditions so that they 
will not suffer from the transfer to the open. The cold 
frame is covered for the first few nights and is left 
open on all except cool days. Gradually the plants are 
exposed to colder and colder weather, until finally the 
covers are left off altogether for a few days or a week 
previous to transplanting to the field. It should not 
be overlooked that hardening off is an accustoming of 
the plants to both the cold and the relatively dry open 
field conditions. The plants should receive sufficient _ 
water to keep them from dying, but gradually the 
amount of water applied should be reduced while they 
are in the cold frame, so that finally they will get along 
without the addition of any water. 
It is. always desirable to let the soil in the cold 
frame become rather dry for several days before trans- 
planting. This, together with the exposure of the 
plants to cold nights, will harden the tissues and fit’ 
them for transfer to the open soil. _A few hours before 
the actual transplanting, the soil should be heavily 
watered. The plants, being ‘‘thirsty,’’ will take up 
enough water to fill their tissues, in which condition 
they will be able to allow more transpiration. The 
plants should not be removed from the: frames until 
the soil has become mellow. Puddling the soil by 
working it while wet should always be avoided. As 
large a part of the root system as possible should be 
removed with the plant, and it is well to leave as 
much soil on the roots as will cling. 
In transplanting plants to the field one should firm 
the soil about the roots thoroughly. If a plant is prop- 
erly transplanted, watering in the field is scarcely ever 
necessary, but in the home garden one will insure a 
