260 



THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



sight of, that there is no mode of prejudg- 

 ing by the mere texture, depth, or charac- 

 ter of the soil, even iu conjunction with 

 clunate and situation, to what extent the 

 spot is adapted for Rose culture. 



Deainage. — But supposing that you 

 possess a deep strong loam, the first point 

 is to ascertain the state of the draJEagc. 

 Though Roses are as fond of Avater as any 

 of the choice garden plants we have, they 

 will not endure to have it stagnate about 

 them. The continuous winter rains lodg- 

 ing in a tenacious soil ruin tlicm at the 

 root, and devastate tlie collection ; and 

 unless there is a good natural drainage, 

 means must be artificially devised for car- 

 rying off quickly all superfluous moisture. 

 In laying out a Rosary the proper drainage 

 of the soil would be the first consideration, 

 and an efficient arrangement of drain-pipes 

 would be the best mode of ellecting it, 

 imless, as just remarked, the sub-soil was 

 of a character such as to render artificial 

 drainage unnecessary. In growing them 

 on a small scale in beds and borders, 

 it would be as well to take out the soil 

 three feet deep, then to lay down one foot 

 of building rubbish, and above that two 

 feet of soil for the roots ; the most copious 

 waterings and the heaviest rains would 

 then be attended with no danger. 



Impeovement of Unsuitable Soils. 

 — Supposing the soil to be unsuitable, 

 there would be great caution necessary in 

 making the selection ; and however care- 

 fully the selection may be made, it will 

 still be necessary to improve the soil by 

 any means available. The top spit of a 

 pasture, especially of a loam inclining to 

 clay, would be just the thing to cart into 

 the compost yard, and lay up for Roses. 

 If turned once or twice lor a season, and 

 then incorporated with a liberal allowance 

 of well-rotted stable dung, or the clearings 

 from cucumber and melon pits, or v^ith 

 dung from a sheep-walk, gathered six 

 months previously, it would form an ad- 

 mirable material in which to cultivate 

 Roses. This would have to be used ac- 

 cording to the nature of the land requiring 

 improvement. On a soil unfit for Roses 

 merely because exhausted and poor, a 

 layer of six inches turned in would per- 

 haps be sufficient, especially if every year 

 afterwards the plants had a dressing of 

 dung ; or if a few Roses were wanted on 

 a lawn in a soil too lean or hungry for 

 them, holes might be dug two feet deep 

 and tvio feet across, and filled up with 

 such soil, and the Roses planted iu them. 

 In any case the soil ought to be brought 

 to such a condition as to be fit to grow 



wheat or hops, and a good wheat soil is 

 the very stuff iu which Roses are pretty 

 sure to delight themselves and their pro- 

 prietors. 



Peecautions. — When the utmost has 

 been done to improve the soil, it may still 

 be quite unsuitable for many of the choicer 

 kinds, and where there is any reasonable 

 cause for doubt it would be rash to plant 

 extensively, and especially with expensive 

 sorts — in fact it is not possible to decide to 

 what extent Roses may be grown on even 

 tlie best soils until the thing has been 

 tried, and therefore on one wliich bears the 

 appearance of unfitness, let actual experi- 

 ment determine before you risk much in 

 the adventure. Many Roses will make a 

 good start iu soils quite unfit for them, 

 and when the first flush of youth is over 

 they go off, and become worthless, or die 

 outright ; and on the best of soils for 

 general purposes there are some sorts that 

 refuse to make themselves " at home." 

 Where Gloire de liosamene does well, you 

 are pretty sure to find that La Seine turns 

 consumptive, and vice veisu. Mrs. Elliott 

 is another that you cannot make sure of at 

 all times, let the soil be what it may ; 

 nevertheless, in spite of sucli exceptional 

 cases, those who love Roses should take 

 heart and wise counsel, and persevere cau- 

 tiously, and there are but few spots in the 

 i whole area of the British Isles, where skill 

 i and patience will not succeed. 

 j Roses on Sand. — In the planting of 

 a dry sand with Roses, those worked ou 

 Bofi Rose stocks are pretty sure to fail, 

 for the Dog Rose demands a cool, moist, 

 * rich loam ; sand or any kind of loose 

 shifting soil it abominates. Here it is 

 that Roses on their own roots prove espe- 

 cially valuable, though the old Cabbage 

 and JMoss Roses, whether on their own 

 I roots or worked, are sure to fail in it. 

 I Hybrid perpetuals on their own roots are 

 , very accommodating, and when an uncon- 

 I genial soil has been made the best of, 

 j those are the Roses to risk upon it. In- 

 ; deed, wherever there is a doubt about the 

 suitability of a soil, Roses on their own 

 roots are to be preferred, for those that 

 are worked are iu an artificial condition, 

 and less able to battle with adverse influ- 

 ences than such as from head to foot are 

 " all of a piece,"' and carry their sap in 

 continuous cmTeuts, the warfare between 

 stocks and inserted buds being often greater 

 than appears for a time, and even if trifling 

 and of no moment when all external influ- 

 ences are favourable, every unfavourable 

 circumstance aggravates it, and a bad soil 

 most of all. 



