54 VINES 
frequent changes, in the alternate freezing and 
thawing, rot part of the root system, and, with 
some of the roots killed, the plant cannot support 
all the top. A mulch is the only preventive 
of this, as it keeps the ground in a more uniform 
condition, but the mulch should not be applied 
until after the ground is frozen a little. 
Vines growing in a rockery, or, in fact, any 
raised mound of earth, will kill back very badly 
sometimes. ‘This can be attributed to a lack of 
water, for being raised, the ground, after freezing 
a little at the surface, will turn off the rains and 
become very dry underneath the frozen crust. 
Of course, plants do not require as much water 
when in a dormant state as when growing, but 
they do need enough to keep the roots from 
withering. If supplied with this necessary amount 
the plant maintains enough action to keep the 
_top alive. Lack of moisture kills more vines 
during winter than all other troubles combined. 
I would suggest, as a preventive for this, giving - 
the plants a thorough soaking in the fall, then 
covering them with a good mulch. In this 
case, do not wait for the ground to get frozen, 
as the idea is to retain as much as possible of 
the moisture already there. The higher the 
mound, the heavier should be the mulch. The 
