BY OCTOBER, in all the northern states, the 

 season of out-door work is practically over. 

 There are only a few last things to be 

 done, and we can close the account for the 

 season and see where we stand. Strawberries have 

 to be protected for the winter, and it is curious to 

 notice why this small, low-growing plant must be 

 covered with straw or other light material. It is 

 not to keep out the cold, for that would be impos- 

 sible with such a thin sheet of loose straw. It is 

 to keep off the sun — to shade the plants on bright 

 sunny days in winter. The sun will often cause the 

 frozen ground to melt, and in melting it expands, 

 and small plants like the strawberry are drawn out 

 of the ground. When next the ground freezes, the 

 plants are left on the surface, partly pulled out of 

 their beds. They are said to be " thrown by the 

 frost." A little straw thrown over the plants keeps 

 them shaded, and they remain frozen and safe all 

 winter. The philosophy of all this is to wait till 

 the last minute in November or early in December, 

 and when the ground is frozen to scatter a light 

 covering of hay, straw or litter over your straw- 

 berry bed — very light, or the plants will be covered 

 too much, and may mould and decay for want of 

 air. October is 



CLEANING UP TIME. 



Rake up the dead leaves and litter. Pile it all up 

 in a shallow heap in an out-of-the-way corner, and 

 cover it over with soil. Next year every plant 

 growing on that spot will show the value of home- 

 made fertilizers. Last year about this time the 

 writer went over his garden, and with rake and 

 barrow gathered up every corn stalk, every potato 

 vine and cabbage leaf, every scrap of loose vege- 

 table matter on the place, and dumped it in a heap 

 at the rear of the garden. It made a mass about 

 twelve feet long and eight wide and a foot high, and 

 when every scrap of refuse that could be found, in- 

 cluding all the small or useless roots, turnips, etc., 

 had been thrown upon it, the whole mass was cov- 

 ered with soil. The earth was taken away all about 

 it, which left a shallow trench that served to drain 

 it in the winter. This last spring the whole heap 

 was turned over and scattered on a space fifty feet 

 square, and spaded in. It had nearly all decayed. 



only a little refuse hay and corn stalks being left. 

 These were tossed together, and when dry were 

 burned and the ashes scattered over the ground. 

 Afterwards the plot was planted to potatoes and 

 tomatoes. The plants grew well and, in spite of 

 the severe drought, bore a very large crop. Other 

 potatoes and tomatoes in the same garden died very 

 early in the season, or only produced a small crop. 

 The tomatoes, particularly, grew to enormous size, 

 were bright, and grew through the whole of the dry 

 season. Once in mid-winter while the heap was 

 frozen hard, several barrels of water from the cess- 

 pool were poured over the heap. This, of course, 

 helped greatlj', yet it was chiefly the great mass of 

 vegetable matter safely decaying in the soil that 

 carried the crop through the drought and gave a 

 splendid harvest this fall. See to it now that 



EVERY DEAD AND DYING PLANT 



Is gathered up and buried. It is all capital for the 

 home lot. It is the same with the garbage from the 

 house, and the slop water. Bury it. Bury every- 

 thing in the ground. It is all plant food for next 

 year. It is the only safe thing to do with all waste, 

 whether liqjid or solid. Cover it with earth, for 

 good soil is a perfect deodorizer and disinfectant. It 

 is the same with waste paper, old rags, old shoes, 

 scraps and refuse wood, shavings and useless ma- 

 terials. Pile them up in the garden and burn them. 

 It is far better to burn old papers and old rags and 

 to scatter the ashes over the ground, than to sell 

 them to the junk man. The ashes are worth more 

 in the garden than the few cents the junk man will 

 give for them. It is the same with ashes from wood 

 fires. Scatter them thickly about the stems of all 

 your trees, under your currant bushes and along the 

 raspberry rows, or sow the ashes broadcast over 

 the strawberry bed. If the snow covers the ground, 

 put the ashes on the snow ; the first rain will leach 

 them into the soil. Garbage, after the ground 

 freezes so that it cannot be buried, should be 

 burned and the ashes scattered ovei the ground or 

 on the snow. It may soil the fair white snow for a 

 day or two, but nature will soon take care of it, and 

 next year will pay dividends on your present labor. 

 The real secret of good crops on a home lot is a 

 careful saving of everything. Things that will decay 



