19.7
In which then would you dig the hole deep for your plant, in the dry or the wet ground? In the dry, of course; because if you dug deep in the wet, you would come on water, and water would stop your planting. I think you are quite right. Now suppose the holes are dug; have you ever noticed howThere must be something wrong with the text here. The MSS. give ὁπηνίκα, just when, but that has nothing to do with the matter in hand. Is something lost? the plants for each kind of soil should be put in? Oh, yes.
19.8
Then assuming that you want them to grow as quickly as possible, do you think that if you put some prepared soil under them the cuttings will strike sooner through soft earth into the hard stuff, or through unbroken ground? Clearly, they will form roots more quickly in prepared soil than in unbroken ground.
19.9
Then soil must be placed below the plant? No doubt it must. And if you set the whole cutting upright, pointing to the sky, do you think it would take root better, or would you lay part of it slanting under the soil that has been put below, so that it lies like a gamma upside down?
19.10
Of course I would; for then there would be more buds underground; and I notice that plants shoot from the buds above ground, so I suppose that the buds under the ground do just the same; and with many shoots forming underground, the plant will make strong and rapid growth, I suppose.
