4 
9 
She harden. 
Packing' Plants for Transportation. 
We have studied and experimented much 
upon this subject. To pack an article as 
perishable as cabbage plants so that it will 
safely carry a distance of perhaps a thous¬ 
and miles or more, in hot weather, being 
sometimes several days en route is a job 
that must be carefully and properly per¬ 
formed. If too loosely packed they are lia¬ 
ble to dry out and wilt and wither badly. 
If too closely packed or if the tops are wet 
they will heat and decay rapidly. 
An experience of fifteen years in packing 
for shipment to all parts of the country 
has given us ample opportunity to experi¬ 
ment until we can accomplish it in a 
very satisfactory manner. Our plants are 
grown in the open ground, in rows about 
ten inches apart, so they have ample room 
to spread and grow stocky and stout. When 
about six inches high they are lifted by 
forcing a small stick or trowel under a 
clump of them and forcing them up so as 
to leave as many of the small roots unbro¬ 
ken as possible. The adhering soil is 
crushed by the hand and mostly shaken 
from the roots. They are then tied in 
bunches of one hundred each and the roots 
dipped in water. The bunches are then 
placed upright in boxes—second-hand soap 
or saleratus boxes answering a good pur¬ 
pose—having a layer of damp moss spread 
evenly over the bottom, on which the roots 
are placed. This keeps them fresh and 
cool, and to keep them from heating, per¬ 
fectly dry, fine straw, swamp hay or other 
packing is placed alternately between the 
bunches. The top is left open for ventila¬ 
tion, a few slats being nailed across to pro¬ 
tect the plants if to go on a long journey. 
ABOUT TRANSPLANTING. 
As soon as received they should be imme¬ 
diately unpacked, the roots again dipped in 
water and the bunches laid loosely upon a 
cellar bottom or in some cool, light place, 
but shaded from the direct sunlight, where 
they can be left until ready for setting. If 
the weather is hot and the soil dry it is well 
to “ puddle ” the roots before transplanting. 
Tliis is done by dipping them, a few at a 
time in a puddle made by stirring rich, 
loamy soil into water until it is of about 
the consistency of thick cream. Some 
planters, after “puddling” the roots, sprin¬ 
kle a quantity of dry gypsum or ‘ ‘ plaster ” 
over them, allowing a coating to adhere to 
the roots. This helps to retain the mois¬ 
ture until the new rootlets get a start. 
It is a very common, though erroneous, 
idea that the sooner a plant is reset after 
being taken from the seed bed, the more 
sure it is to live. A moment’s thought 
ought to show the fallacy of this idea. If 
it does not, a little practice will. When a 
plant is taken up many of the finer fibers 
will be broken, or at least their connection 
with the soil severed, and the supply of 
moisture which is received through minute 
mouths situated at the ends of the fibers, 
stopped. The evaporation is continually 
going on from the leaves, and as a conse¬ 
quence the first tendency of the plant is to 
wilt and languish. If transplanted imme¬ 
diately—particularly if exposed to the di¬ 
rect rays of the sun—the evaporation is so 
great that the plant frequently dies before a 
reaction takes place. Now if this plant, on 
being removed from the seed bed, has its 
roots “ puddled ” and is placed in a shady 
situation for about twenty-four hours, it 
will convalesce. The leaves will stiffen up 
and fine, new fibrous roots will commence 
forming, and every energy will seemingly 
be put forward to a speedy recovery, and if 
now transplanted and given half a chance 
for its life, it will grow despite the weather. 
If the above points are followed it will be 
found entirely needless to wait for a rain 
in order to transplant cabbage and other 
succulent plants. 
Celery Culture. 
We know of no vegetable which is more 
rapidly coming into popular favor and the 
demand for which is everywhere growing 
so rapidly as celery. And still there are 
thousands of gardens, especially among 
farmers, in which the first stalk of celery is 
yet to grow andThe-gardener has yet to learn 
how to cultivate and handle it successfully. 
The manner of cultivating this delicious 
