APRIL: FOURTH WEEK 105 



amply repaid: beneath the dry surface the soil will be moist 

 and mellow. 



Six weeks ago the best conditions for germination were 

 found near the surface; now they are likely to be found as 

 deep as you can get without covering the seeds so they can- 

 not push through. Plant them deep in the moist soil, and 

 if the weather is dry make the soil firm about the seeds. 

 This may be done by pressing them down into the drill with 

 the ball of the foot, or you may run the wheelbarrow lightly 

 along the row. For very small seeds it is important to have 

 the surface of the ground rolled down hard, so the capillary 

 action will be stimulated instead of retarded, and the mois- 

 ture wiU be drawn up from the lower part of the soil to keep 

 the surface moist until the seed has germinated. As soon 

 as possible after germination starts a surface dust mulch 

 should be reestablished. 



In summer transplanting every possible precaution must 

 be taken to keep the plants from wilting. As the roots of the 

 plants are some distance below the surface, it is not neces- 

 sary or even desirable to keep the surface moist; the more 

 thoroughly the dust mulch can be estabhshed round the 

 plants the better for them. The soil that comes into direct 

 contact with the roots should be moist; if necessary pour a 

 little water into the bottom of each hole before setting the 

 plants. Plants that are in flats or in pots, or in the soil of 

 the seed bed, should be watered thoroughly some hours 

 before transplanting. The large outside leaves should be 

 cut back a third to a half — this substantially checks the 

 evaporation that causes the plant to go down. The plants 

 should be set into the soil very firmly. 



In the home garden it is generally possible to shade the 

 individual plants; this may be done by the same method as 

 already described for keeping off frost. For such things as 

 celery or lettuce set in a continuous row, a wide board may 

 be set on edge along the row. Transplanting should be done 

 late in the afternoon or during cloudy or wet weather, and 

 watering should be done with hose or watering can late in 

 the afternoon. 



