THE COUNTRY HOME [CHAPTER 
brush; but be careful not to smother your planis. 
I have used sawdust very satisfactorily, because it 
need not be removed, only raked into the alleys in 
the spring. I believe tanbark is considered a good 
covering by those who can get it. Cut straw is 
used by many, but this sort of covering is liable to 
draw the mice, who will use it for nesting, and then 
gnaw the plants. I am careful never to use straw, 
either for covering or for mulching in the fall, but 
an old, decaying straw heap can be utilized in the 
spring, either as mulching about trees or as a 
mulch between the rows of strawberries — pushed 
up close under the stems, that would incline to 
droop over and get soiled. This mulching of a 
strawberry bed is exceedingly valuable in the way 
of retaining moisture and tiding over a dry spell. 
When the bearing season is past the mulch can be 
forked under on a small bed, or in larger beds it 
can be taken away for other uses. 
As for varieties, I shall not undertake to give you 
anything like a complete list, simply because, be- 
fore my book gets to you, there will be other new 
and promising sorts on the market. Every year 
sends out two or three really good new sorts, and a 
good many more that deserve testing. Just at 
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