130 THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



A look at the softness and delicacy of their tiny stems and 

 roots will prove this. With much care, then, we pinch off, 

 or twitch out, the weaker of the little plants, leaving the 

 remainder at safe distances from each other. As this safe 

 distance, for young plants, need be no more than a quarter 

 inch, we see that to plant the seed at that distance is wise. 

 It saves the early work of thinning, which is not easy, and 

 which really disturbs somewhat the roots of the plants that 

 remain. 



At any rate, we have at last our plants with four true 

 leaves, before the appearance of which it is not wise to trans- 

 plant them. Their stems are now more fibrous, and their 

 roots longer. They can therefore stand the moving well, 

 and we will prepare another flat to receive them. (Pots 

 are better for the plants, but they are expensive, and require 

 much more room.) At the same time we water the first 

 flat, lest the earth, if too dry, shall drop off from the roots 

 while we are moving the plants. For the more earth we 

 can lift with the little roots, the less the plants lose in 

 strength. 



Now, with the two flats side by side, we begin the work 

 of transplanting. With the flat end of the seed-trowel we 

 strike deeply around three sides of the plant which we first 

 select ; then, thrusting the little tool down the fourth side, 

 we lift the whole plant out of the flat. This must be done 

 carefully, while the other hand makes sure both that the 

 top of the plant is not tangled with its neighbors and that 

 the plant does not fall from the trowel. Without joggling, 

 the plant is carried to the second flat, where a single thrust 

 of the finger has made, or can now make, a hole for the 

 roots. We pause a moment to see if the hole is deep enough. 

 If not, we make it deeper ; if too shallow, we push a little 

 soil into the hole. Then we lower the roots into place, gather 



