Effects of Mulching. 97 
jury to the plant; but, in practice, it is fortunately 
impossible to hold the frost in the soil so long. 
It is evident, too, that the covering of strawberries 
and other low plants for the purpose of retarding 
fruit must be practiced with caution, for a mulch 
of sufficient depth to measurably delay vegetation is 
apt to bleach and injure the young growth, and to 
lessen the crop. Yet it can sometimes be used to 
good effect, and fruiting can be delayed a week, 
perhaps even more. Some skilful strawhberry-grow- 
ers are able to delay fruiting upon small patches 
as much as two weeks by means of mulches. 
We may draw the following conclusions upon 
the effects of mulching to retard bloom: 
1. The early bloom of fruit-plants depends very 
largely upon the appropriation of food stored in the 
twigs, and it is more or less independent of root 
action. This is proved both by direct experiment 
and by study of the physiology of plants. 
2. It must follow, then, that the temperature of 
the twig or branch must be reduced if its vegeta- 
tion is to be much retarded; or, in other words, 
the top of the plant, as well as the soil, must be 
mulched, and in practice this is possible only with 
strawberries and other very low plants, or those 
which are laid down during winter. 
3 There is danger of injuring plants by heavy 
mulch which is allowed to remain late in spring. 
If it is desired to retard flowers or fruit by mulch- 
ing, the practice should not be violent, and the 
plants should be carefully watched. 
H 
