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leaves decaying from the effect of too much 

 moisture, and this decay is likely to be communi- 

 cated to the crown of the plant, and that means 

 failure. Of late years I protect my plants by 

 inverting small boxes over them. The sides of 

 these boxes are bored full of holes to admit air, 

 which must be allowed to circulate freely about 

 the plant, or it will smother. I invert a box over 

 the plant after filling it with leaves, and draw 

 more leaves about the outside of it. This pre- 

 vents water from coming in contact with the soft, 

 sponge-like foliage, and the plant comes out in 

 spring almost as green as it was in fall. 



Plants can be moved with comparative safety 

 any time during the summer if one is careful to 

 disturb their roots as little as possible. Take 

 them up with a large amount of soil adhering, 

 and handle so carefully that it will not break 

 apart. It is a good plan to apply enough water 

 before attempting to lift them to thoroughly 

 saturate all the soil containing the roots. This 

 will hold the earth together, and prevent ex- 

 posure of the roots, which is the main thing to 

 guard against. 



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