142 YARD AND GARDEN 



the spring, nipping the shoots as they appear 

 above the ground, or in the winter making their 

 way through the soft unfrozen earth to the 

 roots and so damaging these that the plants 

 perish. It is best in applying the litter, which 

 should consist of leaves — preferably the leaves 

 of hard-wooded trees — or clean straw, to lay 

 on at first a light covering and to add to this 

 later as the season advances and the severity 

 of the weather may suggest. 



The purpose of the covering is not so much to 

 keep the ground from freezing as to protect the 

 plants from the rending, tearing and upheav- 

 ing effects of the alternate freezing and thaw- 

 ing. It is this, rather than extreme or 

 prolonged cold, that damages hardy perennials 

 and the spring-flowering bulbs. The covering, 

 therefore, should be only heavy enough to pro- 

 tect the beds or borders from this danger. And 

 it should be of such a nature that it will not 

 pack or settle heavily on the surface of the soil 

 and smother the plants liy excluding the air. 



PLANTING SEASON 



"While the perennials may be planted in the 

 fall as well as in the spring, unless the plants 

 can be obtained early in the fall it is better 



