PLANT FOODS AND MANUBES 69 



MULCHING 



The reader will find this expression used many times in connection 

 with the cultural directions given for the various plants described in 

 this work. It is therefore advisable to explain its meaning and value. 



A ' mulch ' or ' mulching ' in gardening language means an extra 

 covering of soil, rotten leaves, or manure, either separately or 

 combined, placed over the roots of plants either after the latter have 

 been newly planted, or at any period during their growth when it may 

 be considered advisable. 



The advantages of mulching may be summed up as follows : — 



(i.) During the hot and dry summer months it prevents excessive 

 evaporation from the soil and thus not only preserves the moisture for 

 the roots to absorb, but it also prevents the soil from becoming 

 excessively hot by day, and cold by night, thus maintaining a more 

 regular temperature. 



(ii.) In winter it protects the roots from frost and also keeps the 

 soil warmer. 



(iii.) When a rich mulch is applied to newly planted trees and 

 shrubs, it not only has the above advantages, but the manurial matters 

 contained in it are washed down into the soil and enrich it with food 

 for the benefit of the newly formed or forming roots. 



(iv.) A good mulching of rich manure to all kinds of fruit trees after 

 they have set their fruits is highly beneficial in assisting them to swell 

 rapidly and ripen more quickly. Once a plant — no matter whether a 

 tree, shrub, or annual — begins to develop fruit and seeds, a demand is 

 made upon its reserve materials. If these are not quite sufficient to 

 meet the demand, it is easy to conceive that the extra food supplied 

 by means of a good mulching will supply the deficiency. 



PLANT FOODS AND MANURES 



Besides being a rooting medium for plants, the soil may also be 

 regarded as a storehouse containing some of the particular kinds of food 

 required to build up the stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits of plants in 

 conjunction with other foods obtained from the air. A soil is said to 

 be fertile when it contains an abundance of plant food, and sterile or 

 barren when this food is scarce or altogether absent. The great object 

 a gardener has in view therefore is to treat the soil in such a way that 

 it shall always be in a more or less fertile condition, and never be 

 -deficient in any of the essential plant foods. 



