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Show EFFECT OF MULCH. It Does Not Retard Blooming of Strawberry Straw-berry Plants. No. This question has been settled for 20 years. So long ns tho top of a plant Is exposed to sunBhlno and nlr, so long will nny mulch bo Impotont to rotard Its developing and blooming. If a plant llko n strawborry plant bo kopt ontlroly covered with tho mulch, tho development will bo rotnrded, but In that caso tho plant Is likely to bo dostroyod by tho mlldows tluit will develop. de-velop. It used to ho bellovcd that placing straw around n trco or around n plant would keep its roots cold nnd thus delay blooming. This was desired to I carry tho trco or plant boyond tho tlmo ot killing frosts. Hut It wns not difficult to provo that tho stnto of tho roots had nothing to do with tho time of leaving out of tho trco or of its budding. In ono of tho demonstrations demonstra-tions to provo this, a grapo vino with Us roots In tho frozen ground, which was also covored with snow, was carried. car-ried. Into n gronhouso and exposed to tho light, heat and sunBhlno. Tho loaves camo out ns usual, though tho roots could not supply molsturo. Of course tho exhaustion of tho molsturo In tho vino resulted In Its destruction. A troo or n plant can bo kept back from blooming only by covering It nnd thus protecting It from the Influences that causo It to bring forth leaves nnd bloBsoms. Tho first activities of a troo or plant corao from onorgy stored up In tho form of starch from tho -food token tho previous year. |