Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-06-28
Plant Cultivation.

In order to obtain good plants, espec-
tally those for the vegetable garden, it
is absolutely essential to raise them
from seed, for those offered for sale in
the markets are grown for sale and are
neither healthy nor robust. If, howev-
err, there are no facilities for seed prop
agation and the purchase of plants
becomes unavoidable, the following in
structions will be found valuable:
Select those that have short, robust
stems, for long or slender stem indi-
Gates that the plants have been rapidly
forced by artificial heat, or were grown
too close together, in which case the
sides and underground have been ex-
Guided from the light and air, and the
plants have, as it were, stretched their
necks in their efforts to reach the light
If plant has small amount of root in
proportion to the foliage, it is weakly
from having been forced too quickly or
under too great heat The more root,
the stronger and the greater the growing
capacity Of the plant. If the leaves are
OF yellow cast, it may occur from an
unhealthy condition caused, in all prob
ability, from having been but recently
taken from the hotbet or forcing house,
from having been taken from the plant
bed too long, and, in some cases, from
there being insects or grubs at the roots.
1t the roots are very short, it shows
that they have been carelessly taken
from the beds and the rootlets have
been broken off. A short or stubby root
is always detrimental to the plant, while
if the root is long and fibrous it is of
little consequence if the foliage is small
or short, providing that it has deep
green, vigorous appearance.
The object of transplanting is to check
the growth of the foliage and promote
that Of the root, and this is best done
while the plants are young, so that,
when they are finally planted out, there
orous upper growth. AS soon as the
plants are well above the surface of the
soil they should be thinned out; that is,
the weaker ones should be removed, so
that those left may have free access to
the air and not be crowded. In thinning
out, leave the shortest and strongest
plants, keeping them as nearly as pos
sible an equal distance apart and with
small space between the leaves of one
plant and those of the next. AS soon
as the plants have six visible leaves the
first TRANSFORMING (called the pricking
OUT should be performed. First the
seed bed should be watered, and about
an hour afterward the plants should be
removed to another bed, prepared of
rich, light soil. In removing the plants
from the old bed it is Of great conse-
quence to preserve the rootlets, and to
this end three or four pronged fork
should be employed, lifting the plants
gently and handling them carefully,
planting them nearly up to the leaves
in the new bed, placing them three or
four inches apart, and pressing the
earth very lightly about them, and fin
ally lightly sprinkling them with water.
The bed in which they are transplanted
should be prepared rather dry, and if
out of doors just before shower of
rain is the best time. Plants that have
been thus transplanted not only grow
to greater perfection, but are more har-
dy and will stand protracted drought
much better. Scientific american.