113 
tened down. Truffles may thus be sent many miles, without 
any danger of their perishing. Only upon long journeys, which 
last several days and weeks, the case must often be opened, for 
an hour at a time, and the earth from time to time be moistened 
with fresh river water, that the Truffles may not Irecome mouldy 
and putrid. When the Truffles have reached their appointed 
destination, the case must be immediately opened in an airy 
but shady place, and the earth moistened, if necessary ; after 
which, they must be planted as soon as possible in the situ- 
ation intended for them. It is not advisable to distribute the 
Truffles over the whole of the bed; it is better to plant them 
upon a small part of it. As, upon a newly-made bed, the mat- 
ter in the earth has not taken the direction necessary to the 
production of this species of fungus, it is easily conceivable 
that a single Truffle cannot act sufficiently to produce this di- 
rection, but that the united power of several is recpiisite. In 
the earlier attempts, it was, indeed, expected from a single fun- 
gus, or even born jrieces cut off, that they should exert this 
power u])on the new soil ; but the expectation was continually 
frustrated. According to the nature of the soil, whether more 
or less moist, the Truffles are set from two inches to four inches 
or at the most, six inches deep. The soil in which they are 
enveloped in their journey is left upon them, and the utmost 
efforts are made to |)revent their being exposed to the access of 
the air, or even to that of the sun’s rays. On this account, the 
planting of them must take place only in the evening, when the 
sun is gone down, or in very cloudy weather. Holes of the 
depth required must be made !)eforehand, the bottoms of w hich 
must be strewed with soil out of the case; then each Truffle 
must be carefully lifted up, with the soil that is about it, j)lanted, 
and the soil that still remains in the case be distributed in the 
holes. If the holes are not filled with this, they must be filled 
with the soil of their new situation, which must be moistened 
with repeated sprinklings of water. The new jilantation must 
then be amply covered w ith twigs cut from the oak or hornbeam ; 
and the soil must be planted with young trees of these kinds, 
not crowded, but at such a distance as to give sufficient shade, 
so as to prevent the land from being dried up. 
The best time for transplanting Truffles is towards the middle 
of spring, and in the beginning of autumn, about which latter 
li7 AOCTARIOM. 
