Here are the Men to Dig them, tnt where are the Plants ? 
These plants are raked out with potato liooks, 
counted by boys and often packed in the field or 
open shed, exposed to wind and sun and with 
little or no moss to protect their roots. 
All such plants run to vines and the more 
manure and cultivation you give them the more 
runners you will get with but lillle increase in fruit. 
The saddest phase of this business is that 
these parties are sending out catalogs represent- 
ing them to be first-class plants grown by experts. 
The facts are that the price charged for them 
would not pay for growing pedigree plants to say 
nothing of digging and packing them. It is always 
safe to be suspicious when a person offers to do so 
much for so little. 
Nothing: Is truly cheap which consumes your 
labor and use ofland as these " cheap " plants will 
do and then gives you no returns. You could not 
afford to use them if furnished free of charge. 
DIGGING THE PLANTS. 
Here are the men but where are the plants. 
They are all there under a nice covering of straw 
which was spread over all our propagating beds 
last fall. We never winter any plants in cellars. 
When digging, the plants are carefully lifted by 
inserting the fork from the front under the roots 
so the crowns cannot be bruised or roots broken. 
They are instantly picked up and put in a wet bag, 
so they are never exposed to sun and wind and the 
bag is carefully labelled and sent immediately to 
the packing house where they are cleaned, counted, 
tied in bunches, labelled and the orders are made up. 
The entire row is taken up and all old plants 
and any with immature roots are thrown out. Only 
perfect plants are sent to customers. 
Enhance 
10 
The Michigan 
