135 



Preparation of the Ground. — Thorough drainage is the first thing to be 

 considered, and this should be effected by opening drains 4 feet deep and 10 to 

 15 feet apart and laying down draining tiles along the bottom, allowing a good 

 fall so that the water drained off may run away freely. If tiles are not to be had, 

 a fairly good drain can be made by placing nine inches to a foot of rubble stones 

 in tlie bottom, and on these should be placed small twigs to prevent the drainage 

 from getting choked. In filling up the drain the roughest material should be 

 thrown in first. 



The whole of the land should now be stirred to a depth of two feet, or two 

 and a half feet if the nature of the soil will allow. This should be carried out 

 in the following manner : — 



If the piece of land to be trenched is large, it should be divided into two 



parts thus 



d 



and a trench 2^ feet wide and 2 feet or 2\ feet 



deep cut as the case will allow. Dig out the whole length across the patch 

 marked a, and the soil from it is to be carried and placed along the end marked 

 h. Then mark off a space 2 feet wide next to the open trench and throw in this 

 the first 2 or 3 inches of weeds and litter, on top of which turn the next foot of 

 8oil and so on until the second trench is as deep as the first, mixing in the 

 manure as the work proceeds, and continue trench after trench until the whole of 

 a is finished down to c. Then take out another trench 2i feet wide along the end 

 of d to fill up the trench along c. Continue the trenching as before up to h where 

 the soil from a will be found ready to fill in the last trench. For narrow strips of 

 land the trench may be got out along the whole end and wheeled to the opposite 

 end to fill up the last trench. The first trench should always be six inches wider 

 than the others to allow for the slope necessarj' to prevent the soil from falling 

 back into the trenches. 



Where the sub-soil is poor and bad it will not be advisable to turn the lower 

 part of the trench uppermost, but it should be loosened up to a good depth and 

 enriched with manure. It is a good plan whether the sub-soil be bad or not to 

 loosen the bottom of the trench with a digging fork, as it not only improves the 

 soil, but allows the roots to descend deeper and they are then less likely to suffer 

 in dry seasons. 



Should the soil be gravelly or very sandy, it will be necessary to remove it 

 to a depth of 20 inches — where the plants are to be grown — and replace it with 

 proper soil which should consist of strong loam enriched with manure. If this 

 is not done the plants are almost sure to suffer from Red Spider during dry 

 weather. 



Laying otit oj the Ground. — The simplest forms of beds I consider are the 

 best adopted for roses and they always show up best when the beds or borders 

 are cut out in turf or have turf verges round them. However, the shape of the 

 beds and whether the paths should be turf or gravel may be left to the taste of 

 the individual interested, but whatever shape they are they should not exceed 6 

 feet in diameter, in order that the plants may be attended to without treading 

 on the ground. 



Planting. — Roses in Ceylon can be planted at almost any time in showery 

 weather, but it is best to do so during the period of rest or before they start into 

 fresh growth. Strong well rooted plants should be selected and the work must 

 be performed with care. A sufljciently large hole must be taken out to allow 

 room for the roots to be spread out naturally within 4 or 5 inches of the surface. 

 They should never be packed together. The collar of the plant, if on its o\vn 

 roots, may be about 2 inches under the surface, if otherwise it should be just 

 level with the ground. A few hand-fulls of leaf-mould thrown in among the 

 roots will be of great benefit in helping the plants to root quickly in the new 

 soil. The other soil should be filled in evenly and firmly, then water to settle 

 the soil about the roots. 



For dwarf specimen plants 3 feet apart is a good distance, but if the plants 

 are required to be pegged down to cover the whole surface of a bed they may be 

 planted as close as 2 feet, or even 18 inches. Should dry hot weather follow the 



