Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-11-24


growth more liable to injury by winter
than q poor, hard or dry soil. For the
same reason, thorough undertaking rem
ders trees and shrubs much hardier-a
fact known to hedge -raisers who have
employed the Usage orange for, this pur-
pose, the line Of an underdrain protecting
the hedge from injury, and an undrsined
subsoil being seen with large gaps and
dead trees from killing down. HeTba-
ceons plants as well as small shrubs, as
horticulturists have known, have been
rendered hardy on dry rock work, or
aggregations of soil mingled with stones.
- Plants, the roots of which are entirely
dormant in winter, and which have no
foliage, may have a close and dense COW
ering. An inverted and turfy sod is often
a sufficient protection to half hardy roots
such, for example, as the Funkia ia
ponica and Chinese roses cut down. All
newly set roots are less hardy than those
which have grown and become established
year or more. Hyacinth bulbs, for
instance, should hayea covering of leaves,
litter OF eyergreens, if placed in the beds
in autumn. Even plants which are re-
ported as perfectly hardy win be much
benefited if covering of two inches or
so of manure is placed upon the crown,
to be removed early in spring. 1t viii
protect them to some extent when the
earth is bare of snow, and the liquid ma
nure washed into the soil win give them
an early and vigorous start. If the dead
stems happen to be standing, they must
of course be cut off before applying the
manure. Very early boomers may be
brought forward earlier in the same way.
1t is often observed that a covering of
snow, (Which melts off eally,) on the
roots of such plants as the snow-drop,
squill, hepatica and crocus, protects them
so that they burst into bloom sooner and
with more vigor. Leaves, litter, and
other covering, taken off in time, produce
similar result. The common practice
of covering asparagus in this way, known
to give 1t an earlier start, is q familiar
example. yr
Plants which hold green leaves all win
ter, like the strawberry, must not be
closely or densely covered, or the plants
will be smothered and rot. For such
plants covering of dead leaves or COM
post manure may be injurious or destruc-
tive. There are different ways to protect
tender plants of this character. If they
are half hardy, few inches of evergreen
boughs will be quite sufficient. If any
leaves are used, place brush or evergreen
boughs first upon them, and protect the
leaves from blowing off by a few more
brush. Half ripened buds of the rasp-
berry and grape are rotted, if the covering
is close or is left on too lopg. Leaves
laid fiat on green plants will become wet
and heavy, and smother or injure them;
but if covered with a hot-bed frame and
sash, to keep them loose and dry, will
prevent injury to quite tender plants--the
leaves and the sash both operating to-
gether.
In sheltered places, protected on all
sides by evergreen trees, many green
house plants, of such sorts as are dormant
in winter, may be wiptered through, by
thick covering of dry leaves, the process
being an exact imitation of forests, which
with their fallen leaves are well known to
be quite warm enough for a large por,ion
of such greenhouse plants. A stratum of
leaves less than foot thick, properly
kept in place, will entirely prevent the
freezing of the soil with tender roots.
There are various kinds of protection
for tender shrubs. If the wood is thor
oughly ripened and hardened, they may
be closely covered with straw or mats; if
of q greener nature, or with evergreen
leaves, it will not do to wrap them so
closely. A protection of evergreen
boughs or leaves, is one of the best that
can be given in such cases. It generally
happens that less injury is caused by
the cold alone, than by the suns
the reason that some slightly ten
der evergreens, (of which the COM
mon box is well known example, come
out in spring with fine bright green, if
they have stood on the north side of a
building or wall where the sun could not
touch them, while those exposed to its
rays have been Drowned and badly in
| jured. This is also the reason of the
common opinion that the east wind kills
tender trees, and that buildings, screens
or hills, on the east side of gardens, pro-
| tect from this wind, when in fact it is
only the protection which they afford
| lEom tne ray5 Oi tne morning sun after
sharp night.
A single instance of the application of
the foregoing reasons to the farmers well
known crop, the wheat plant, and we
close. We have stated that plants which
hold green leaves all winter, must not be
closely or densely covered for protection,
or the plants will be smothered. Heavy
manure or wet leaves on the strawberry,
and deep snow on wheat, tend to produce
similar results. A thin covering of coarse
straw or cornstalks on either, protects the
surface from the sweep of winds, and
shields the plants. Hence, wheat OF
strawberry plantations in exposed or
bleak places, cannot fail of being benefited
by thin covering of coarse stalks
Country Gentleman.