Mulching 121 



On sandy soils, mulching for winter protection may not 

 be necessary, even in the North, except for hill plants; 

 the lighter the soil, the lighter the mulch. The amount 

 used will depend, also, on whether it is to be kept around 

 the plants the following spring for moisture conservation. 

 If making a specialty of late berries, mulch heavily ; the 

 heavier the mulch, the longer is season of blooming and 

 ripening retarded. In 1898, S. R. Devine, of Sullivan 

 County, New York, covered a field thirty inches deep 

 with ice, with ten inches of straw above it. The berries 

 ripened through July and August, and sold for fifty cents 

 a quart, but the venture was not profitable. Now that * 

 we have dependable everbearing varieties, such extreme 

 measures are unnecessary. 



When to remove the mulch. 



In most cases, the mulch is left around the plants to 

 keep the berries clean. The advantages and disadvantages 

 of removing the winter mulch in spring to permit tillage, 

 are considered on pages 74—75. The mulch should 

 not be removed until settled spring weather is assured. 

 Do not be deceived by a day or two of prematurely warm 

 weather; "maple sugar weather" is very trying to un- 

 covered plants. Unless earliness is essential, the later 

 the mulch is left on without injury to the plants, the 

 better. The plants should be examined frequently; if 

 they show signs of bleaching, they should be uncovered, 

 regardless of the calendar. If the mulch is kept on late, 

 not only does it retard the blossoming season, but also it 

 smothers early weeds. It may pay to go over the field 

 the first warm days and merely loosen the mulch over 

 the rows with a fork, to prevent bleaching. 



If the mulch is but two inches deep, or less, it is not 



