The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1889-01-30
For THE FLORIDA AGRICULTURIsT.
Field and Fireside Papers-No. 5.

WHICH, Ildy U0 Fectully grown Ill ElOTlu6t,
constitutes one of the many charms and
attractions of this fair and sunny land of
the amateur florist, plant collector and
arboriculturist. Scores-I had almost
said hundreds-of shrubs, plants and
trees, which require the most tender
greenhouse nursing and careful protec-
ton at the North, can here be grown
with little or no trouble; and if we pos
sessed half the foresight, skill and indus
try of our Northern confreres, we could
almost. double our present collections.
| spent a few days once, during the
month of October, in a small city OF
central New York, just before the sharp
and killing frosts were looked for; and
(as some Of our provincial friends would
say [ admired to see" the systematic
and mastery way in which the gardeners
and florists were preparing their plants
and trees for winter. Amateurs, there,
seem to classify their plants as "hardy,"
'shalf hardy and ''tender," and treated
them accordingly. The "tender" plants
are, of course, removed to the greenhouse
in early fall the hardy suffered to take
the weather Gas it comes" and the ''half-
hardy protected and wrapped up to
resist the cold somewhat after this fash
ion: Two men Zone of whom, at least, is
an expert), provided with stepladders,
Irvine, some long rods or Stats with
rounded edges, and an abundance of
sound bright wheat straw not too
much broken up by the threshing ma
chine, begin at the ground to envelope
the little tree or shrub with the straw,
letting the butts of the first layer OF
straw rest on the surface, or slightly be-
low it, and carrying it up evenly all
around until it. projects few inches
above the tOpmOst branch or tWlg OF the
tree Before this straw coating is put on.
the side branches of the tree or shrub are
gently drawn in and confined near the
body or trunk with soft Irvine; and
should the shrub be OF very slender or
brittle nature it is stiffened to resist the
boreal blasts by placing around it two
or three of the rods or Stats before
mentioned Care is taken to cover every
part Of the tree with a coating of straw,
of uniform thickness,-not less than an
inch, and sometimes two or three inches,
tying this straw at short spaces, from
the ground to point above the top OF
the twigs, where it is finally SO tightly
secured that no rain or melting snow can
penetrate it. When completed and in
full arctic costume, the little tree is as
trim and compact as a bale or bundle
from a first-claSs nursery; and it is
finished off by scattering thick layer OF
coarse manure over the surface about as
far around as the lateral roots are sup
posed to extend. Ha,f-hardy, or slightly
tender grapes, raspberries, blackberries,
etc, are bent down to the surface and
covered with few inches of earth It5T e-
protect them from s sePSTHdffio on in spring.
the H6 hot advise my Florida friends
to adopt this latter method covering
with earth) as our mild winters often
start the plants to grow, and play sad
havoc with them. The straw coating, as
above described, if donned here for two or
three months in the year-say from the
middle OF November until the 18th of
February-would enable usin all parts of
Florida to cultivate and enjoy a great
many tropical and sub-tropical plants
that are now confined to a somewhat
mythical region 'below the frost line"
And, it is almost needless to add, that
less elaborate and painstaking system of
winter protection than that in vogue at
the North. would answer our purpose
equally well.
IN
Returning to our 'muttons," [ will en-
deavor to illustrate the opinion with
which / started out, in regard to the
great number of varieties which even an