STAKING— WhSTTER PROTECTION, ETC. 21 5 



I would either stake all my bushes that stood separately 

 and singly, or else would grow them in a loose, continuous, 

 bushy row^ and keep the fmit clean by some kind of mulch. 

 Splashed, muddy berries are not fit either to eat or to sell. 



In many localities, however, stakes are dispensed with. 

 In the garden, wires, fastened to posts, are occasionally 

 stretched along the rows, and the canes tied to these. The 

 method in this section, however, is to insert stakes firmly 

 in the hill, by means of a pointed crowbar, and the canes 

 are tied to them as early in spring as possible. Unless 

 watched, the boys who do the tying persist in leaving the 

 upper cords of the canes loose. These unsupported ends, 

 when weighted with fruit and foliage, break, of course. The 

 canes should be snugly tied their whole length. 



If bushes made stocky by summer pruning are supported, 

 let the stake be inserted on the side opposite that from 

 which heavy winds are expected. 



WINTER PROTECTION— TAKING UP PLANTS FOR 

 SPRING USE— STORING THEM. 



Nearly all foreign varieties and their seedlings need win- 

 ter protection, or are the better for it, north of the latitude 

 of New York city. Many of the hardier kinds, like the 

 Herstine and Clarke, will usually survive if bent over and 

 kept close to the earth by the weight of poles or a shovelful 

 or two of soil ; but all of the Antwerp class need to be 

 entirely covered. 



To many, this winter covering is a great bugbear, even 

 when only a small patch in the garden is involved. There 

 is a constant demand for "perfectly hardy" varieties. It 

 should be remembered that many of the best kinds are not 

 hardy at all, and that perhaps none are "perfectly hardy." 



