12 BULLETIN 392, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
LESSON EIGHT. 
topics: hardening off plants; preparing land and transplanting. 
months: march to may. 
Lesson outline. — Hardening off plants. Where plants are grown in 
a hotbed they should be hardened before being set in the open. This 
can be done by transferring the plants from the hotbed to the cold 
frame or by removing the hotbed sash during the day. As the plants 
become hardened the cover may be kept off at night when there is no 
danger of frost. Boxes and tin cans may be used for developing the 
plants. 
Preparing land and transplanting: Thoroughly harrow the soil. 
Mark off the rows about 4 feet apart for horse cultivation; 3 feet apart 
for hand cultivation. If plants are to be pruned to one or two stems 
and tied to stakes or trellises, set them 2 to 3 feet apart. If the plants 
are not to be pruned and staked, set them 3 to 4 feet apart. Before 
removing plants from the hotbed or cold frame, thoroughly soak the 
bed in order that considerable soil will adhere to the roots of the 
plants. Take up plants with trowel or spade and pack in boxes to 
carry to the field or plat. Set plants in the furrow and pack the soil 
around them. Finish filling the furrow with a turn plow or hoe. 
Study questions : What methods are used to harden plants ? Why 
should plants be hardened before setting in the open ? What is the 
distance between rows ? Between plants ? Why should the soil of 
the hotbed or cold frame be thoroughly moistened before plants are 
removed ? Should the soil be moistened around the plants where set 
in the field ? Why should dry soil be spread over the moistened area ? 
References— Farmers' Buls. 220, pp. 9, 16; 642, pp. 6, 7; 255, and 
647. 
Practical exercises. — The members of the class who are growing 
tomatoes should harden their plants and get them in condition to set 
in the open. By removing the plants from hotbeds to cold frames 
(tin cans or boxes), they may be given greater distance and encour- 
aged to grow more rapidly. As a rule the plants should not be set in 
the open before May. However, in the far South they may be set as 
early as March or April. In southern Florida planting in the fall is 
practiced. 
Correlations. — Copy in the class notebook answers to ''study 
questions." Develop further problems on the cost of fertilizers and 
the number of plants required to set given areas. An accurate record 
of labor, cost of fertilizers, seed, and the like, should be kept in a 
bound book. 
