Transplanting Devices 



193 



tively too deep. It is usually best to use some cheap 

 splint device, as shown in Fig. 44. 



It is now customary to handle plants in flats 

 (Fig. 45). These are shallow boxes about 3 inches 

 deep, and of an}^ convenient size. A box 15 x 20, or 

 18 X 24 inches is easily handled. These boxes may be 

 made to order; but many gardeners make them from 

 soap boxes, by sawing each box up into several flats 



Fig. 45. Melon plants on a sod; gardener's tiat; plants in 2-mch 

 and 3 3^-inch pots. 



or sections and adding bottoms. Such a box will hold 

 100 plants if they are not transplanted, or one -third 

 or one -half that number of transplanted plants. From 

 flats a quick man can transplant from 5,000 to 6,000 

 plants in a day if the soil is light and in good con- 

 dition. With a horse transplanting machine several 

 times this number can be set. Ten acres of cabbage 

 plants sometimes may be set in a day by means of a 

 horse machine. From 20,000 to 40,000 plants have 



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