ore they expect to plant, the growers go over the beds and, by means
of a hoe that has been straightened and sharpened to form a sort of
spade, they cut through the soil and manure so as to divide the plants
into blocks of six. A few hours before they are to plant, they saturate
the bed with water. By means of a flattened shovel they can take up the
blocks of plants and place them in a cart or low wagon so the soil is
scarcely disturbed at all, the roots in the manure serving to bind the
whole together. In the meantime furrows are opened along the rows and
the cart driven to the field; the plants in the blocks are cut apart
with a butcher knife placed in the furrow and the earth drawn about
them.

Plants set in this way often do not wilt at all, even in hot sunshine.
When plants are grown in boxes these can be taken to the field and
plants taken from them in much the same way and so that they will be
disturbed but little. In setting the plants it should always be borne in
mind that while sunshine on the leaves of a plant rarely does any
injury, it is very injurious to the roots, and the exposure of the roots
to the sun or to cold, dry wind, should be avoided in every practicable
way, such as by carrying the plants to the field laid on the sides of a
box, which is then carried with its bottom toward the sun so as to have
the plants in the shade, always handling the plant in the shade of one's
body, etc. It is well worth while to walk to the end of the row to
commence work in order to secure this. It is attention to such details
that distinguishes one whose plants nearly always do well from one who
loses a large proportion of those he handles.

=Fruit at the least expenditure of labor.=--The plants are prepared for
setting by scant watering, and are taken up so as to secure as much root
as possible with little soil adhering to them. Great care should be
taken in taking the plants from the bed, and in handling them, _to avoid
twisting the stems_, as to do so very seriously injures the plants,
often to such an extent that they will fail to grow, no matter how
carefully set out. Some growers dip the roots in a very thin clay mud,
hardly thicker than thin cream, but I have not found this of advantage
except, sometimes, when the roots are to be exposed for a longer period
than usual and I do not recommend it for general use. In setting, holes
are made either with a long dibble, in the hands of the one who
distributes the plan