PROTECTION BY BUNDLING. 273 



winter, on account of the snow that accumulates in them. Massed 

 to the depth of a foot, the ground beneath them will hardly feel the 

 frosts. Trees or shrubs which are hardy enough to be forced into 

 a rank growth without making their new wood too succulent and 

 tender to bear the following winter, may be mulched with short 

 manure, but trees of doubtful hardiness must not be thus stimu- 

 lated. If used at all it should be in autumn, for winter service, 

 and raked off in spring, to be replaced by cooler materials during 

 the growing season. 



In addition to the mulching required over the roots of young 

 trees and shrubs in winter, it is necessary to cover the trunk, and 

 sometimes the entire tops of those which are half-hardy with some 

 protection. The stems of young trees may be covered with straw 

 bound around them, or with matting, or strong brown paper. Small 

 tree-tops and spreading shrubs may be carefully drawn together 

 with straw cords, and bound up as completely in straw and matting 

 as bundles of trees sent out from a nursery. As such masses are 

 likely to catch the snow, and offer considerable resistance to the 

 wind, it is absolutely necessary in all cases after a subject has been 

 thus bound, that strong stakes be driven near by, and the bound-up 

 branches securely fastened to them until the binding is taken off in 

 the spring. The following cuts, illustrating a mode of protecting 

 peach trees, to secure their fruit-buds from injury in winter, also 

 illustrates the mode of protecting the tops for other purposes. In 

 the case of the peach tree a strong cedar post is supposed to be 



FIG. 53. FIG. 54. FIG. 55. 



deeply set for a permanent fixture at the same time the tree is 

 planted, and that the latter grows up around it as shown by Fig. 53. 

 At the approach of winter the branches which can be most con- 

 veniently bound together are prepared like nursery bundles as 

 18 



