GARDENING FOR LITTLE GIRLS 
pies and portulaca, have such tiny seeds that it is 
best to mix them with half a teaspoonful of fine 
soil, and scatter it where you wish, afterwards 
pressing down firmly with a small board. 
TRANSPLANTING—ANNUALS 
When your plants have developed a few leaves, 
and are big enough to handle, prepare to transplant 
them. This exercise does them good, and while a 
few resent it, the rest will grow better and be 
stronger. Choose morning or evening for the work, 
although it can be done at any time on a cloudy 
day. (One of my friends loves to do her trans- 
planting in the rain!) Be sure that the ground 
is thoroughly damp, even if you have to sprinkle 
it well beforehand. 
PUDDLING 
Lift each seedling with a spoon, so as to keep a 
ball of the moist earth around the roots, set it in a 
hole made where you want your flower to grow, 
and then fill up this hole with water before you 
begin to put in the rest of the soil. This is called 
puddling, and will enable you to do your trans- 
planting with the least possible disturbance to the 
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