Weeding and Transplanting" 



Make little holes in the ground deep enough to 

 accommodate the roots wherever a plant is to 

 be placed, using for this purpose a stick having 

 a tapering point. 



Remove your seedlings from row, hot-bed, 

 or cold-frame as carefully as possible. Aim to 

 lift them without breaking their delicate roots. 

 This can be done if you use a small trowel, or a 

 piece of smooth, flat wood, made thin and 

 sharp at the point. Never take hold of a plant 

 and attempt to pull it out of the soil imtil the 

 earth about it has been so loosened that there 

 will be no resistance to overcome. The right 

 way to lift a plant is by taking it up Vvith 

 enough soil adhering to its roots to keep them 

 from coming in contact with the air. If this 

 cannot be done, lay them, as fast as lifted, on 

 a layer of damp moss, or a cloth that is well 

 saturated with water, and keep them shaded. 

 Get them into the ground as soon as you can. 

 If their roots are exposed to the air and become 

 dry, your plants are ruined. If the weather 

 is dry, apply water to the soil containing the 

 plants to be lifted, before you begin the work 

 of transplanting. Take the seedling carefully 

 between the thumb and finger of the left hand, 

 5 65 



