WINTER PROTECTION, ETC. 5l7 



labor of covering performed in the following simple way : 

 B is a hill with canes untrimmed. C, the canes have been 

 shortened one third, — my rule in pruning. After trimming, 

 the canes are ready to be laid down, and they should all be 

 bent one way. To turn them sharply over and cover them 

 with earth would cause many of the stronger ones to break 

 just above the root ; so I have a shovelful of soil thrown on 

 one side of the hill, as in Fig. C, and the canes bent over 

 this little mound. They thus describe a curve, instead of 

 lying at right angles on the surface, with a weight of earth 

 upon them. A boy holds the cane down, while a man on 

 either side of the row rapidly shovels the earth upon them. 

 If the work is to be done on a large scale, one or two shovel- 

 fuls will pin the canes to the earth, and then, by throwing a 

 furrow over them on both sides with a plow, the labor is 

 soon accomplished. It will be necessary to follow the plow 

 with a shovel, and increase the covering here and there. 

 In spring, as soon as hard frosts are over, — the first week in 

 April, in our latitude, usually, — begin at the end of the 

 row toward which the canes were bent, and with a fork 

 throw and push the earth aside and gently lift the canes out 

 of the soil, taking pains to level the ground thoroughly, and 

 not leave it heaped up against the hills. This should not 

 be done when the earth is wet and sticky. Keep off the 

 ground at such times, unless the season is growing so late 

 that there is danger of the canes decaying if not exposed to 

 the air. The sooner they are staked and tied up after un- 

 covering, the better. 



For market or other purposes, we may wish a number of 

 young plants, in which case there is much room for good 

 sense in taking them up. Many lay hold upon the canes 

 and pull so hastily that little save sticks comes out. A gar- 

 dener wants fibrous roots rather than top ; therefore, send 



