MULCHING THE SOIL 165 



orderly manner on the ground they are covered up with straw 

 to a depth of two or three feet. This treatment keeps the 

 plant in a dormant state until late in the season and prevents 

 alternate freezing and thawing of the roots and the branches. 

 If the rose bushes are small and planted in beds all of the 

 plants in the bed can be covered up with straw. The straw 

 should be placed over the plants rather loosely and not 

 packed firmly around them except along the edges of the bed. 



Mulching the Soil. — The mulching of the ground is a 

 great benefit to all plants. Not all plants need the mulch 

 as a protection, but many are greatly benefited in growth 

 by having this treatment. Plants like the rhubarb and the 

 asparagus, while not requiring a mulch, profit from it. These 

 plants usually require no mulch as a protection but the 

 growth the following spring is more rapid and the plants 

 are of better quality if the ground is mulched with manure 

 during the winter. The plant food which is found in the 

 manure gradually washes out and is deposited in the soil. 

 The water soaking through the manure gives an available 

 supply of plant food early in the spring for the new growth. 

 The mulching of the soil also prevents the freezing of the 

 ground to such a great depth, and this often is an advantage 

 to the plant. When a soil is covered with a mulch it helps 

 to hold the snow and the rain and stores up more moisture 

 in the ground. Likewise it prevents the loss of water by 

 retarding the evaporation from the surface. 



Several materials are used for mulches. Straw, leaves, 

 coarse manure, prairie grass and hay are among the chief 

 materials selected for this purpose. The horse manure, 

 including the litter, is the best, and it should be used when- 

 ever it is possible to secure it. 



The methods of placing the mulching material around the 

 plants differ slightly. Where the plant is small and stands 

 alone the mulch is piled around the plant for a distance 

 of 2 or 3 feet. The depth of the mulch varies and is deter- 

 mined by the nature of the material. If leaves are used 

 for mulching they can be placed 2 or 3 feet deep. Usually 

 some means of holding the leaves in place and in preventing 

 them from blowing away will be necessary. The depth to 



