44 GARDEN PROJECT 
stand if he takes no chances and waters the vegetables. 
When water is applied, it is always best to pour it 
into a basin made about the plant, allowing it to dis- 
appear, and then to cover the wet surface with mellow, 
loose soil. The principal factor in causing the death 
of plants is an excessive transpiration from the leaves. 
The removal of a part of the top of the plant will 
reduce the transpiration and often save it dur- 
ing a dry period. Not all plants can be ‘‘sheared,’’ 
but onions, beets, celery, and to a certain extent cab- 
bage, will not suffer. The best implement for trans- 
planting, everything considered, is a pair of human 
hands. Other serviceable tools are the garden trowel, 
the dibber, and the spade. In commercial gardening, 
a transplanting machine which sets the plants as 
fast as a team of horses draws the machine is often 
used. 
Thinning vegetables. Plants must have sufficient 
room if they are to develop properly. All excessive 
plants are nothing more than weeds. With many vege- 
table crops the planting is done in such a way as to 
give plenty of room. Cabbage, tomatoes, sweet corn, 
and beans are examples. With most of the small 
seeded crops, however, the seeding is usually liberally 
done on account of the weak embryo and the suscep- 
tibility of the young plants to the weather and soil 
conditions. However, even in such cases the planting 
should be within certain bounds. Market gardeners 
even go so far as to test the seeds in advance and 
plant aceordingly, so as to insure a good stand and 
yet prevent overcrowding. In this way little thinning 
is necessary. The vegetables commonly planted in 
drills in the field and which require thinning are beets, 
parsnips, parsley, salsify, and onions. Melons and 
