RENOVATING THE OLD BED 89 



In the East oat or rye straw is generally the 

 material. Many places have quantities of 

 pine needles, seaweed, leaves, evergreen 

 boughs — all these are good. Near large 

 cities, where stable manure is obtained for 

 the hauling or at a low cost, it also is used 

 for mulching. The list is so long that it 

 would be nearly impossible to enumerate all 

 the materials that could be used. Enough 

 to say that all straws or other litter should not 

 contain large amounts of weed seed, that the 

 materials should be raised or purchased at a 

 low price, and that the materials should be 

 fit to protect the plants without smothering 

 them. 



OBJECTS OF MULCHING 



By a careful study of the results of mulch- 

 ing the following objects are brought forth 

 as the reasons why one should mulch: 



I. Protection of plants from winter or 

 early spring injury. The excessive cold on 

 bare ground often results in the destruction 

 of the plants. Heaving of the plants in the 

 early spring by honeycomb frost is one of 

 the greatest sources of unthrifty, profitless 

 strawberry beds. These can both be over- 

 come by mulching with the proper materials. 



