ricut] STRAWBERRIES AND THEIR KIN 
ing the plants. The strawberries are allowed to 
give me some small returns for a year or two more, 
while the substituted plants are growing. 
A strawberry bed must be invariably covered, 
in order to make it secure from heaving out or freez- 
ing out during the winter. A few of the newer, 
long-rooted varieties take so strong a grip on the 
soil that, while no hardier, they are not as liable to 
be heaved. But in covering, we have to remem- 
ber that the object is not so much to protect the 
plant as to prevent freezing and thawing of the 
soil. The real difficulty is thawing after freezing, 
and then freezing again. After experimenting 
with all sorts of covering, I am satisfied that our 
best plan is to use compost such as I have de- 
scribed, distributing it freely along the rows about 
the first of November. It should not cover the tips 
of the leaves. The plants should be visible all 
along the rows, otherwise you will find that you 
have smothered and rotted more than you have 
saved. In the spring, with a little movement of a 
rake, this compost can be settled down into the rows 
as a fertilizer. Autumn leaves make a fairly good 
covering, provided they can be held in place with 
trimming from your raspberries or other light 
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