Winter Protection 



Mulches. It should be the aim in all lawn plant- 

 ing to put out only those varieties which are adapted 

 to one's property and in consequence Winter pro- 

 tection is not then altogether necessary. Most of 

 us though admire and want plants not always suited 

 to the exposure of our lawns, and then it is that some 

 Winter protection becomes necessary. 



A mulch of manure about one inch deep, spread 

 about the young trees a distance in diameter equal 

 to one-half that of the spread of their branches, 

 serves not only to enrich the ground but to prevent 

 alternate freezing and thawing. 



Mulch the perennial beds and shrubbery in the 

 same way. Leaves may be used for these mulches 

 if manure is not easily available. The leaves may be 

 kept from blowing about by placing boughs over 

 them, or putting about the bed or group a low fence 

 of poultry netting. 



Rhododendrons, Azaleas and similar plants de- 

 mand leaf mulches and not those of animal manures. 



Do not rake off and remove mulches when Spring 

 comes. Spade them into the ground, that the vege- 

 table material in them may rot and make increased 

 fertility in the way of additional humus. 



There are some exposed groupings of Rhododen- 

 drons, Evergreens and partially hardy plants of 

 woody nature, which in addition to the mulches 

 mentioned, require the shelter of some such protec- 

 tion as shown here. 



It is hard drying winds such as usually come in 

 March that do damage to evergreens. Don't remove 

 the protection until all danger from these is past. 



Two Pointers for Gardeners Often 

 Overlooked 



When plants are shipped by us they are labeled 

 distinctly with a tag wired to them. This tag is 

 necessarily wired tightly when the plant leaves us, 

 otherwise it would be lost in the handling which the 

 plant receives. When the plant grows this wire 

 sometimes strangles a branch (Fig. 1). At the time 

 of planting the tag should be unwired and then 

 very loosely put back in the way shown by our 

 illustration (Fig. 2). 



With newly planted trees larger than three inches 

 in diameter, it sometimes happens that the sun's 



Fig. 2 



rays shining on the bark quickly thaws out the sap 

 that has frozen in the wood. This alternate freezing 

 and thawing breaks the cells in the wood tissue. 

 The bark then is poorly nourished and cracks or 

 splits, causing the condition known as sun-scald. 

 To prevent this, tree trunks should be wrapped in 

 some such manner as illustrated. 



The Winter protection of ever^eens may be accomplished in many ways. One of these methods, where it is 

 desired that the drying winds of Winter and direct rays of the sun shall be kept from the plants, is to surround 

 them with a shield in much the manner shown here in our illustration. We use straw mats for the purpose, but 

 cornstalks will do just as well if easier obtainable. Ever^een boufihs may be used in the same way, and of course 

 look more natural than do straw or stalks; yet the latter, if neatly arranfjed, are altoitether siithtly. 



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