20 BUSH-FRUITS 



There are some very successful berry -growers whose 

 practice is directly opposite to this theory, for they 

 believe in thorough and frequent cultivation up to 

 the time of frost. This tends to favor a late fall 

 growth, producing at least some wood which cannot 

 be well ripened when winter sets in. 



In many localities winter protection is an essential 

 feature of berry growing, and many growers find it 

 profitable even where it is not absolutely necessary. 

 The increased yield, even in mild climates, often more 

 than pays the cost of protection, and a crop of fruit 

 is thereby insured, even though the winter should be 

 an unusually trying one. 



Different methods are employed for laying -down 

 the canes. Some drive over the rows with a wagon, 

 and the axle bends the plants all in one direction. If 

 mulch of any kind is used for covering, like sorghum, 

 bagasse or coarse manure, it can be thrown from the 

 wagon on to the plants at the same time. A fence 

 rail is sometimes used to bend down a section of row 

 at once, leaving the rail there to hold them down. A 

 simple and practical way is to remove a little earth 

 from the side of the hill with a spading or manure 

 fork, bending the plant down in that direction and 

 throwing enough earth over the tips to hold it there. 

 The plants are usually all laid in one direction along 

 the row, the tips of one lapping over the roots of the 

 preceding. In very severe climates it is best to en- 

 tirely cover the plants with earth. This is some- 

 times done by running a plow along the row, and 

 throwing the furrow over them after they have been 



