TRANSPLANTING CULINARY ESCULENTS. 



25 



before their final planting out. It in- 

 creases the formation of extra roots, 

 enables the cultivator often to detect 

 the symptoms of club, as well as gives 

 opportunity for the rejection of mal- 

 formed plants. The pea and all the beans 

 are improved in precocity. The pro- 

 cess, however, would be unprofitable in 

 the case of very large crops, and in the 

 saving of seed. In the latter case, a re- 

 moval of all weak and inferior varieties 

 should be scrupulously attended to. 

 Spinach does not admit, unless upon 

 extraordinary occasions, transplantation ; 

 nor do the whole tribe of small salads, 

 such as cress, mustard, <fec. Lettuce 

 admits of it freely, and so does en- 

 dive : both may be grown to great 

 advantage in small seed-beds, and when 

 fit for removal placed to succeed crops 

 which, while they (the latter) have been 

 in a state of preparation, have been 

 yielding their return. They, with celery, 

 cardoons, &c., are grown from seed first, 

 to forward them for transplanting, and 

 to economise room. Onions admit of 

 it with impunity, leeks with singular 

 advantage, while carrots will not sub- 

 mit to the ordeal. Potatoes transplant 

 freely, if the roots are preserved ; and aU 

 the perennial crops, such as asparagus, 

 sea-kale, &c., are benefited by the opera- 

 tion. " It is easy thus to see," Mr Loudon 

 very justly observes {Sub. Hort. p. 621), 

 "that by the transplanting system half 

 the garden-ground will sufiice that is 

 requisite for the sowing system ; and as- 

 a proof of the economy of this system 

 generally, it may be observed that it is 

 the one followed by all the market-gar- 

 deners in the neighbourhood of London. 

 Another advantage attendant on the 

 transplanting system — more especially in 

 the case of esculents, the leaves of which 

 are the parts used — is, that the plants, 

 being deprived of part of their tap-root, 

 throw out a greater number of lateral 

 roots, in consequence of which the pro- 

 duction of radical leaves is encouraged, 

 and the tendency to run to flower is re- 

 tarded; while a more succulent growth 

 is induced, owing to the plants being 

 placed in newly-prepared soil." Unne- 

 cessary cutting or lacerating of the roots 

 should not, on these accounts, be tolerated. 

 The only instance that strikes us at the 

 moment, where a shortening of the roots 



by the knife is justifiable, is in the case 

 of some of the cabbage tribe reared from 

 seed in very poor soil : such, having a ten- 

 dency to throw down tap-roots in search 

 of food, may with great propriety be 

 shortened at transplanting. 



In every operation of transplanting the 

 esculent productions of the kitchen-gar- 

 den, regard must be paid to the preser- 

 vation of the spongiolets, and this the 

 more so when the operation is to be 

 carried out without checking the growth 

 or vigour of the plant, as in transplant- 

 ing lettuces at any age. (For reasons, see 

 Transplanting, Fruit -Garden). Nor 

 should any curtailment take place in the 

 foliage, unless of such parts as may be 

 accidentally broken or bruised during 

 the operation. 



In regard to soil, some have gone so 

 far as to recommend a different soil 

 in the garden for its various products; 

 this has long been proved to be not 

 only unnecessary, but absurd. To carry 

 out such views in the cultivation of the 

 parsnip, for example, it would, accord- 

 ing to them, be requisite to transport a 

 section of one of the chalk hills of Kent, 

 Sussex, or Hampshire, for their especial 

 use ; and for sea-kale, to transport a sand- 

 bank from the sea-shore for a similar 

 purpose. The chemical relationship 

 seems to cease — that is to say, if it ever 

 existed to the extent that plants growing 

 on calcareous soils, or on siliceous ones 

 either, will not grow in other soils deficient 

 in, or actually devoid of, such chemical 

 constituents — as soon as plants are taken 

 under the fostering care of man ; and few 

 or none refuse to grow to far greater per- 

 fection in good garden soil, than they are 

 anywhere to be found in their natural 

 habitats. The samphire may be an ex- 

 ception to this rule ; nevertheless we have 

 had it growing amongst a collection of 

 native plants in pots, in common soil, for 

 many years. There has been a great deal 

 too much attempted to be made of the 

 relationship between plants and the 

 chemical constituents of their native 

 soil, by our flower-pot experimentalists, as 

 well as of chalking out, according to the 

 rules of latitude, longitude, and altitude, 

 the prosperity of our fruit trees, and their 

 periods of ripening their fruit. To this, 

 reference will be made in its proper place. 

 Meanwhile we say, in a good staple soil. 



