WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
36 
W hen the snowfall is heavy 
throughout the winter, it may 
cover the canes sufficiently to af- 
ford all the protection that is 
needed. Sometimes, however, in 
order to be adequately protected 
by the snow, the canes should be 
bent over. They may be held In 
this position by plac’ng a few 
clods of earth on the tips ; or 
sometimes forked sticks are used 
to pin them to the ground. In 
other cases rails or poles are 
placed across the canes to keep 
them in a reclining position. The 
tips, which are the tenderest part 
of the canes, should be nearest the 
ground and be best protected. 
Usually no pruning is given 
either the raspberry or blackberry 
just before or during the winter. 
When the canes are to be protected 
with soil, however, all the weaker 
canes, as well as stronger ones not 
needed for the crop the following 
season should be removed. This 
thinning out of the canes will re- 
duce the cost of covering. In the 
spring if the canes of the rasp- 
berry are long and are not to be 
supported by stakes or a trellis, 
the ends should be cut back. If 
cut back to a height of 3 feet, tlm 
canes should be able to support 
their crop, keeping the berries out 
of the dirt. Sometimes when the 
canes are slender it will be neces- 
sary to cut them back to 214 feet 
in length. The side branches of 
the blackberries are usually 
pruned back in early spring. 
The length at which the lateral 
branches should be left depends 
on the habit of the variety. In 
some sections and with some varie- 
ties no pruning at this time is nec- 
essary, and experience in each lo- 
cality must be the guide as to this. 
Winter Protection of Straw- 
berries. 
In all except the extreme south- 
ern and western districts the au- 
tumn or early winter is the season 
in which the strawberry fields 
should be covere 1 with a mulch, 
partly to protect the plants from 
the continual freezing and thawing 
which occurs in many sections, 
partly to conserve moisture and 
keep down weeds during the fol- 
lowing spring and during the 
fruiting season, and partly to keep 
the berries from contact with the 
soil when they ripen. This mulch 
may consist of some kind of straw 
or hay or of stable manure con- 
taining a large proportion of 
straw, but it should be free from 
weed seed. Wheat, rye, oat. and 
buckwheat straw, long-leaf pine 
needles, prairie hay, marsh hay, 
salt marsh hay, and other materi- 
als are frequently used for this 
purpose. The mulch should be 
placed on the berry field after the 
ground freezes and before it is 
covered with snow. If a rain fol- 
lows the spreading of the mulch, 
less trouble will be experienced 
from scattering by the wind. The 
mulch should be spread evenly 
over the whole field. If available, 
sufficient material to make the 
depth of the mulch when it settles 
from 2 to 3 inches should be used. 
Stable manure, though fre- 
quently used, is not always satis- 
factory. In some sections it 
causes a vigorous leaf growth the 
following spring and actually less- 
ens the yield of berries. If either 
the stable manure or the straw 
contains weed seed, it may infest 
the berry field with weeds to an 
extent which decreases the yield 
and causes much expense in clean- 
ing. When stable manure is ap- 
plied, the solid portions as far as 
possible should be put between the 
November, 1917 
rows and that part containing 
more straw placed over the row. 
In the spring before the plants 
start growth, sufficient straw 
should be removed from the rows 
to allow the plants to grow through 
the mulch. This straw may be 
thrown into the space between the 
rows. Where the ground is weedy, 
it will often be necessary to rake 
the mulch upon the rows of plants 
and cultivate the field. The mulch 
is then returned to the middles be- 
tween the rows of plants to be left 
until after the picking season. 
Transplanting Evergreens. 
When shall I transplant ever- 
greens? This is a common ques- 
tion and shows that there is a dif- 
ference of opinion. Bailey says 
that this difference of opinion 
means that there is more than one 
season in which they may be 
moved. Possibly, in climates less 
severe than this; but for AViscon- 
sin, where we have six months dor- 
mant season, it is expecting too 
much of trees to survive when 
transplanted in the fall. Espe- 
cially is this true of evergreens 
which on account of their dense 
foliage dry out more than decid- 
uous trees. 
One thing is very certain, the 
fall is not the best time in AViscon- 
sin to transplant evergreens. Fur- 
ther, the most successful planters 
agree that best results are secured 
by rather late spring planting, 
after active growth has begun. In 
all cases transplanted evergreens 
should be protected from sun and 
wind for several weeks by some 
temporary shelter. 
Cold Frame for Bulbs. 
A member asks, — “Can you ex,- 
plain the method employed in 
