THE JOYOUS ART OF GARDENING 



from three to six inches. This is the "natural method" of 

 protection and serves two purposes. On the one hand, the 

 mulch is a kind of extra blanket for the roots; on the other, 

 it is an excellent manner of fertilizing and the one which nature 

 follows when left to her own devices. 



In the case of a newly planted tree, hedge, or shrubbery, 

 the practice of mulching is especially necessary, because, aside 

 from the peril by cold weather to stem and tops, the alternate 

 freezing and thawing of the ground sometimes dislodges a tree 

 — "heaves" it, as the gardeners say. It is for this reason, the 

 liability to "heaving," that evergreens are rarely planted in 

 the fall. For an evergreen, not being close-reefed for the winter, 

 offers much resistance to the wind, and the tree is likely to 

 "work loose." Therefore fall-planted evergreens should be 

 heavily mulched. For the same reason— to prevent heaving — 

 newly set trees in orchard or elsewhere may profit by having 

 the soil heaped about their stems to the height of six inches. 



A mixture of manure and stable litter is one of the most 

 satisfactory mulches. Dead leaves (secured by branches thrust 

 in the ground), leaf -mould, compost, stalks of dead annuals — 

 almost any kind of garden litter may be mixed with manure 

 and put to this use, except — and there is a prominent excep- 

 tion — strawy stuff of any kind should be excluded if rats and 

 mice abound. As for the methods of combating these evils, 

 something on the order of Hannah Glasse's hare recipe is 

 most thoroughly satisfactory — namely, to catch the rats. For 

 protection one uses tarred paper on the stems, birch-bark 

 wrappers or wire-screening wound about them (leaving room 

 enough to insure not cutting the bark). This last method is 

 sure to be discouraging to the enemy. There are several un- 

 savory washes which may be used and for which formulas may 

 be found in Bailey's "Garden-Making." 



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