TO PREVENT WINTER-KILLING 55 
same suggestion holds good where vines are 
planted about buildings located on terraces. 
The latter not only freeze and shed water, but 
are often so exposed as to be subject to the 
additional drying action of the wind. 
Another reason for vines winter-killing is 
poor condition of the soil. Some slow-growing 
plants, if planted in poor, impoverished soil, 
will kill back a great deal in winter. In fact, 
it seems to be all they can do to keep their vital 
roots and crown alive. The reason for this is 
that the roots can support only a limited extent 
of top, and the balance must perish. On the 
other hand, really tender plants, such as the Jjas- 
mines, some of the clematis family, and some 
climbing roses, will not kill back as much in a 
light soil as they will in a rich, heavy soil which 
gives rise to a lot of top growth. 
This statement may seem misleading, but here 
are the facts: for vines that are very hardy, and 
that never show any signs of winter-killing, the 
soil cannot be too rich; but vines that are con- 
sidered tender, especially weak-rooters, will pass 
through the winter much more safely if the soil 
is not sorich. The reason is that, first, in a light 
soil a plant will not make as much growth as 
if the soil were heavy, but the growth will be 
