PREPARING FOR WINTER QUARTERS. 229 



As winter approaches, we prune our tender 

 raspberries, Wilson blackberries, and grape- 

 vines, then lay them clown and cover with 

 earth. Bury them well, or heavy rains will 

 wash them out. Our strawberries should be 

 tucked away under a good warm covering. I 

 have usually employed stable manure, raking 

 off only the coarsest part in the spring. In 

 this way the plants are greatly stimulated as 

 well as protected. But leaves, straw, or any 

 litter will answer. Fruit trees may be carefully 

 pruned at our leisure, by cutting back the too 

 exuberant growth of new wood, and by trim- 

 ming them into shapely appearance. 



The closing scenes have come, and we are 

 about ready to go into winter quarters. But 

 after all this careful preparation for another 

 season, we know that winter does not mean 

 death to our garden. From the first white 



