FAMILIAR LESSONS ON PRACTICAL GARDENING. 
409 
and plant these again immediately. If it be- 
comes necessary to " lay in " any plants, see 
that their roots are closely covered up with soil. 
Spread out the roots as far as possible in 
planting. Small plants should have a hole 
opened for their roots by the small fork. 
Trees or shrubs should have a shallow hole 
dug out, wide enough to admit of the roots 
being laid out in lines from the stem in every 
direction ; the bottom of this opening should 
be highest in the centre, say six inches deep 
there, sloping to a foot at the outside of the 
hole ; in damp heavy soil, even less depth 
than this is preferable ; the roots are to be 
covered by laying up the soil like a small 
mound, but the collar (or that part whence 
the roots and stem separate in opposite direc- 
tions) must not be covered with any depth of 
soil, except in the few cases of those plants 
which throw out roots freely from the buried 
portion of the stem. In general, plants should 
not be set deeper in their mature state than 
they were while young, or very slightly 
deeper — an inch or two merely — in the case 
of large plants. The soil, which is placed in 
contact with the roots, should be made very 
fine, so that it may envelop them completely, 
leaving no hollow open spaces; this close contact 
is necessary in order that the roots may be in a 
condition to produce new fibres and spongioles 
speedily after transplantation. In the case of 
trees and shrubs the soil is to be carefully 
shaken in among the roots, and gently but 
firmly trodden. This result — that of settling 
the soil closely about the roots — is often 
secured by giving newly planted subjects a 
good watering, which while it closes in the 
soil perfectly, also provides a ready supply of 
moisture to assist in refreshing the plants, 
until they have formed fresh active spongioles. 
Avoid using the dibble in planting, 
except in the case of very young 
seedlings, or other small plants with 
few roots; it consolidates the soil too 
much, and bundles the roots into 
one mass, instead of facilitating 
their distribution on all sides as 
widely as possible. Most of the 
vegetable crops are in general finally 
planted out with a dibble, but the 
little hand-fork is far preferable. 
Small dibbles may be used for planting out 
into nursery-beds — "pricking out," as the 
phrase is — young seedlings, raised thickly in 
seed-beds, and intended to be again removed 
to their permanent positions. This pricking 
out is thus performed : — A narrow bed of 
three or four feet wide, and sufficiently long, 
is prepared, by being manured if necessary, 
and well wrought with a fork so as to render 
the soil tolerably fine, especially that on the 
surface ; it is then smoothed and levelled, and 
the plants placed at equal distances, from two 
to four inches apart, according to the size they 
attain, the length of time they are to remain, 
or other circumstances. The soil should be 
tolerably fine and moderately good, so as to 
induce them to root freely, but not so rich as 
to cause a luxuriant top growth. The plants 
are put in by making a 
hole with a blunt pointed 
stick, or dibble, large 
enough to admit the roots, 
which should be placed 
straight down the hole, 
and not bent up together, 
as is often the case in careless planting ; the 
hole is then filled up by pressing in the sides 
with the point of the dibble, using pressure 
enough to fix the plants firmly, and taking 
care that there is no hollow space left at the 
bottom of the hole beneath the roots. This 
is continued till all are planted ; they may 
then be well watered with a watering can 
having a rose on the spout (unless the ground 
is damp and the season cool), and in bright 
sunny weather must be shaded till they have 
taken root. Planting of all sorts is best done in 
showery weather, if the soil is sufficiently 
porous in texture to admit of being worked 
under such circumstances : if planting is ne- 
cessarily done on stiff heavy soils when they 
are too much charged with wet, they should 
be trodden upon and pressed as little as pos- 
sible, as they so readily consolidate when in 
that state. Sometimes planting is of neces- 
sity done when the weather is dry ; in these 
cases the evening should be chosen for operat- 
ing, and water must be freely applied (and 
even shade where practicable) until the plants 
begin to grow. Trees and shrubs of all kinds 
are best planted in the fall of the year, when 
they are in the most dormant condition. 
PRUNING. 
Pruning consists in cutting off certain por- 
tions of a plant, for a certain purpose, chiefly, 
however, in order to aid its fertility, or to in- 
duce greater vigour in certain parts, or to alter 
or modify its form. 
Fruitfulness is best ensured by a moderate 
degree of pruning, consisting in the thinning 
of the branches, so that light and air may have 
better access to the remainder ; a crowded 
state of the branches is generally unfavourable 
to fertility. Vigour is imparted to the re- 
maining branches when a plant is closely cut in, 
provided the roots are healthy and active ; for 
in this case, the roots having but a limited 
demand to meet, are enabled to supply sap 
more freely to the remaining parts, which 
consequently push forth with much more than 
ordinary strength. "Worn out branches may 
thus be made to give place to young ones full 
