CULINARy HERBS 



43 



in transplanting result from the improper use of 

 this tool. Unless the dibble be properly operated 

 the plant may be left suspended in a hole, the sides 

 of which are more or less hard and impervious to the 

 tiny, tender rootlets that strive to penetrate them. 

 From my own observation of the use of this tool, I 

 believe that the proper place for the dibble in the 

 novice's garden is in the attic, side 

 by side with the "unloaded" shot- 

 gun, where it may be viewed with 

 apprehension. 



In spite of this warning, if anyone 

 is hardy enough to use a dibble, let 

 him choose the flat style, not the 

 round one. The proper way is to 

 thrust the tool straight down, at 

 right angles to the direction of the 

 row, and press the soil back and 

 forth with the flat side of the blade 

 until a hole, say 2 or 3 inches across 

 and 5 or 6 inches deep, has been 

 formed. In the hole the plantlet should then be sus- 

 pended so all the roots and a little of the stem beneath 

 the surface will be covered when the soil is replaced. 

 Replacing the soil is the important part of the opera- 

 tion. The dibble must now be thrust in the soil 

 again, parallel and close to the hole, and the soil 

 pushed over so the hole will be completely closed 

 from bottom to top. Firming the soil completes the 

 operation. 



There is much less danger of leaving a hole with 

 the flat than with the round dibble, which is almost 



Wooden Dibbles 



