Mulching to Retard Fruits. 93 



every means be used to escape late spring frosts. 

 Efforts must also be made to reach the market when 

 there is least competition from other sources, and, in 

 the north, at least, this competition comes 

 chiefly from early products produced in states 

 to the southward. A rehearsal of experi- 

 ments made to test the efficiency of mulching 

 for these purposes will indicate the nature 

 of the problem. 



The tests were made at Ithaca, New 

 York. The ground froze deep in December, 

 and the frost did not leave it until the mid- 

 dle of March. Upon the 28th of February, 

 1893, the snow being well settled and a foot 

 and more deep in the open fields, heavy 

 mulches of coarse manure and litter from 

 horse stables were placed about apples, 

 almonds, buffalo berries, blackberries, rasp- 

 berries, currants, gooseberries, grapes, June- 

 berries, peaches and quinces ; and straw- 

 berries were mulched later. Observations 

 were also made upon roses which were 

 mulched in the fall for winter protection. 



The apples and other tree -fruits com- 



Fig. 8. Effect 



prised trees which were set in the spring ofmuichupon 

 of 1889. Half of a large wagon load s'hoot* 08 * 

 of mulch was placed about each tree, 

 covering the snow deep for a distance of three feet 

 or more in all directions. The small -fruits were 

 mulched heavily to the middle of the rows, or three 

 and a half to four feet in each direction. A heavy 



