THE GENESEE FARMER. 



375 



forticultiiral Jltprtmciit. 



PROTECTING PLANTS FROM COLXJ. 



*■ There is a large, and probably an increasing-, 

 number of persons who are disposed to give up the 

 cultivation of all plants which require any artificial 

 protection to enable them to withstand the cold of 

 our climate. They argue, that there are enough 

 good fruits and flowers that do not require this extra 

 care, and that if the tender ones are dropped, some 

 hardier ones will immediately take their places, and 

 that unless we drop the tender ones, we shall never 

 have a full supply of hardy ones. 



There is certainly force enough in this reasoning 

 to induce us to look for and give a preference to va- 

 rieties which are perfectly hardy, where these can be 

 had, and to encourage the production of hardy seed- 

 lings, to take the place of older sorts. But on 

 looking the matter through, we find there are many 

 articles of great beauty and value now found in our 

 gardens which have no hardi/ substitute, and many 

 others which, although considered hardy, because 

 they will live through and grow after a severe winter, 

 are yet so much benefitted by protection, that until 

 a perfecflij hardi/ one is found to fill its place, we 

 cannot part with it, and to secure the full amount of 

 good from it, we umst shelter from the winds and 

 sun of our northern winters. 



Among the fruits generally cultivated and requir- 

 ing this kind of care, we may mention, the Straw- 

 berry, the Raspberry, and the New Rochelle Black- 

 berry — although this last may not stand quite so 

 much in need of it as the others. 



The Strawberry, in dry soils, seldom dies out from 

 severe cold, except in the case of very tender sorts: 

 but the vigor of the plants is much impaired, and 

 the growth retarded for several days by want of 

 covering. Plants M'hich have had a covering during 

 the winter will thus mature their fruit sooner than 

 others, which is quite an advantage to the grower of 

 this early fruit. The crop is also increased in value 

 to an extent of more than ten times the cost of cov- 

 ering. 



All that is necessary for the protection of Straw- 

 berry plants is to cover them with leaves to the 

 depth of two or three inches, throwing a few limbs 

 upon the leaves to keep the wind from blowing them 

 off. Strawy manure is good, but a heavy covering 

 of rank manure will smother the plants; apply ma- 

 nure thinly, if this is used. 



Raspberries are commonly considered hardy, and 

 for this reason we would be the more emphatic in 

 our statement, that they must be protected. Many 



cultivators of Raspberries do not get one-fourth of a 

 crop, one year with another, because they do not 

 protect the canes during the winter. Strawben-ics 

 lre((uently get a good covering of snow, which saves 

 them; but Raspberries seldom get much benefit in 

 this way. The upper portion of the cane not being 

 covered with i-now, is nearly dead in the spring, and 

 grows lafe and feelily, if at all. 



The best way to protect them, where they are 

 planted as they commonly are, in hills about four 

 feet apart, is to remove all the old wood and all but 

 four or six of the best young canes; then form a 

 small mound of earth along the ground from one 

 hill of plants to an adjoining one, and bending the 

 canes of the two hills towards each other, and along 

 the mound of earth, — which must reach quite from 

 one hill to the other, and be highest next to and 

 against the canes, peg them down and cover with 

 a couple of inches of earth. If tie work is done in 

 a mild day, and care is taken to raise the earth well 

 against the stems befor';' binding down, no canes will 

 be broken, and in the spring every bed will start 

 early and vigorously. 



The New Rochelle Blackberry has not been long 

 enough in cultivation with us to show fully how 

 hardy it may be, but the past two severe winters 

 have evidently been too cold for its real good. The 

 cane is so strong and large that it is difficult to tie 

 up with straw, and too brittle to bear bending down 

 with safety. Care should therefore be taken in 

 planting, to locate these plants where they will be 

 sheltered from west or south-west winds, by high fen- 

 ces or buildings. 



Where plants of any kind have been covered du- 

 ring winter, the covering may remain upon them un- 

 til just as vegetation begins to start in the spring. It 

 is not well to remove it at the first breaking up of 

 winter, as the return of cold weather in spring is 

 quite as injurious as the severe cold of winter. 



All fruit or ornamental plantations which are so 

 located as to receive the sweep of prevailing winds, 

 should, if possible, have the additional protection of 

 a belt of trees planted thickly along the exposed side, 

 but so far distant as not to shade, or injure by the 

 spread of their roots, which is proved to be quite equal 

 upon every side to the height of the tree. Belts or 

 screens of this kind, formed of evergreens, are about 

 the only practicable shelter to the larger and more im- 

 portant fruits, which are also more or less injured by 

 such exposure. 



It is a matter of quite common occurrence to see 

 Isabella and other hardy grape vines considerably in- 

 jured and enfeebled in their growth and fruiting, by 

 severe winter; yet we are not prepared to advise the 

 cultivator to pull down his vines from the trellis and 

 cover them with leaves or earth; the cost and trouble 

 although frequently less than the actual benefit, is so 

 often unnecessary that it seems best to take the risk 

 in most cases; yet if any man would insure himself a 

 crop this is his best way. We are hopeful that some 

 of the newer sorts will prove perfectly hardy in our 

 latitude, which we cannot say of the Isabella. 



The season is now so far advanced that these sug- 

 gestions cannot all be carried into practice, but we 

 hope all who read them will do what they can to se- 

 cure the best possible crops next year. Strawberries 

 can at least be covered while the ground is frozen, 

 and Raspberries tied up with straw, if too late to be 

 , covered with earth. H. E. H. 



