SEEDLINGS AND TRANSPLANTING 



of the long, tenacious growth which the undisturbed 

 plant is able to put forth — and naturally the former 

 are less Kable to injury and breakage when lifted 

 than the latter. 



There are probably no plants which cannot be 

 transplanted by a skilled operator, but there are imny 

 which certainly will not tolerate the treatment of any 

 but an expert — and some that even the expert shrinks 

 from handling. Usually these are species or varieties 

 which send straight down, deep into the earth, a long, 

 trunk-Kke root which is called a tap-root. This 

 simply will not yield to removal without breakage. 



Whenever the instructions on a seed packet direct 

 that the seed be sown where it is wanted in the garden, 

 and say nothing about transplanting, it is very likely 

 that the plant is one of those which puts forth such a 

 root — and the direction should be Kterally followed, 

 else there will be failure. 



Good-sized, growing plants with a mass of roots 

 large enough to need some earth removed to make 

 room to set them, may be firmed into place by filling 

 with water, gently poured, a depression left around 

 their crown. After this has settled, the rest of the 

 earth is thrown into place — and thus the whole 

 operation is accomphshed with comparatively no 

 violence or shock to even the tenderest rootlets. 



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