18 
it should be watered before transplanting the seedlings 
and then set aside. A box of soil that is damp and needs 
no water is to be preferred to one that has been watered 
an hour before being used. Soggy soil is a nuisance. It 
clings to the dibber and the fingers. 
To remove the seedlings from the seed box, with the 
right hand insert a stick or plant label beneath the roots 
and gently raise a bunch of seedlings, at the same time 
grasping them with the left hand. Lay them on a piece 
of paper and bring them to the box of soil. Do not take 
all of the seedlings from the box at one time as they dry 
out very rapidly. Mark the rows on the surface of the 
soil with a straight-edged stick. Space the rows in the 
flat from one and a half to two or three inches apart, 
depending upon the size of the plants. Also space the 
plants the same distance in the rows. The size of the 
seedlings soon after germinating serves as a fair indica- 
tion of the distance apart to transplant them. The larger 
the seedling the more space it will occupy in a given time. 
With the dibber make a hole in the soil deep enough to 
receive the roots without crowding. Slightly turn the 
dibber back and forth as it is withdrawn from the hole to 
prevent any soil from rolling back. If the seedlings have 
unusually long tap-roots, pinch them back half way. This 
will do no harm and will cause the plantlet to send out 
lateral roots. After the seedling is placed in the hole 
the dibber is again thrust into the soil near the seedling 
and the soil firmly pushed against the roots. If an air 
pocket is left at the bottom of the hole the roots cannot 
come in contact with the soil. Many seedlings poorly 
transplanted will survive, but in order that they may not 
be checked in growth the soil should be immediately 
brought in contact with their roots. Seedlings should be 
transplanted at about the same depth as they were in 
the seed box. However, when seedlings are very spindly 
and have a tendency to shoot up, they should be planted 
deeper in the hole. There are some kinds of seedlings, 
the delphinium being an example, in which the heart of 
the plant is quite low. In transplanting such seedlings 
one must be careful not to cover the center of the plant, 
PUDOR’S, INC., PUYALLUP, WASH. 
