718 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



shipment may be examined and many are, because green- 

 house pests are already to a very considerable extent 

 world-wide in their distribution, and a greenhouse pest 

 has not as vet and would in all probability not be able to 

 maintain itself outside in our climate. The entomologist 

 considers it a part of his regular duty to furnish any 

 gardener needing his help in fighting a particular in- 

 sect pest with a clear statement of the best measures of 

 control, which he knows of personally or can find in liter- 

 ature anywhere, and just as far as his means will per- 

 m.it to stud\- out new measures if the commonly recom- 

 mended ones do not work or none are known. 



Various lines of crop production have benefited large- 

 ly by the work of the entomologist. Peaches and apples 

 of good quality could not be grown without the facts 

 of insect control, which he has discovered and given to 

 the public. Potatoes, now one of the most important agri- 

 cultural crops in New Jersey, could not be grown but 

 for facts of insect control. In this country the gar- 

 dener's insect problems have been neglected, and if this 

 neglect is to be remedied the gardeners and the entomol- 

 ogist must get better acquainted and enter into close 

 cooperation. 



The relation existing iietween the gardener and the 

 entomologist should be one of helpful cooperation and 

 the entomologist of New Jersey desires to sustain just 

 this relation to the gardeners of his state. 



PROTECTING THE HARDY ROSES. 



r.v .\lexander Cummixg, Jr. 



The protection of the hardy roses is one of the most 

 important of the coming garden details, particularly so 

 in the Eastern States, where the winters are variable 

 and an occasional severe winter will kill even the climb- 

 ing roses to the ground. 



True, the majority of the garden roses are hardy 

 enough to come through the average winter with slight 

 protection or without any, where the location is some- 

 what sheltered. It is well, however, to be prepared for 

 a severe winter and have the roses thoroughly pro- 

 tected, and when the thermometer is jumping from 

 below the zero point to a growing temperature, the 

 gardener will at least be consoled with the knowledge 

 that he did his best. If the winter turns out mild, the 

 plants will emerge plump and full of vitality and be just 

 so much better for the additional protection. 



The time to apply the protecting material will depend 

 largely on the weather conditions and the method of 

 protection. Usually about Thanksgiving conditions are 

 right for covering the roses, but sometimes it can be 

 deferred until late December. In any case, there sbt)uld 

 be an inch or two of frost in the ground before the pro- 

 tection is applied, and if soil — the best material — is 

 used and brought from the compost heap it can be de- 

 layed until the bed is well frozen. 



In the meantime the rosebeds should be cleaned up 

 and put in the best possible shape for covering. Strong 

 grow'ths of the bedding roses should be partly trimmed 

 ofif and the plants staked to prevent swaying. The 

 climbing roses can be removed from their supports and 

 tied neatly to facilitate covering. Where Hybrid Per- 

 petual varieties, such as Hippolyte Jamain. Victor \"er- 

 dur. Oakmont and b'tienne Levet. are grown, the "rose 

 rust" and "black spi)t" will no doubt be present; this is 

 an excellent opportunity to take precautions against 

 their reappearance. The old foliage should first be 

 carefully gathered up and burned, an application of lime 

 dug lightly into the .soil, and the plants and surface soil 

 heavily sprayed with Bordeaux, Ammoniated Copper, 

 or Formaldehyde, the latter as strong as two ounces to 

 each gallon of water, if the beds receive the same 



treatment in spring before growth ccmniences, it will 

 do much to prevent the appearance of fungous pests 

 through the growing season. 



Crimson Ramblers should also be sprayed at this 

 time, and if the San Jose or the Oyster Scale are in the 

 vicinity, an application of Lime Sulphur solution will 

 serve a double purpose and destroy each of these pests. 

 Tree roses, particularly those on Rugosa stock, should 

 also be carefully examined for scale. 



As stated above, "soil" is undoubtedly the best 

 protective material to use. Where the plants are 

 planted thirty inches or more apart, the soil immedi- 

 ately surrounding them can be drawn up on the wood 

 to a height of nine to twelve inches, but where they 

 are planted closer — as most of the varieties should be — 

 it is more convenient to draw soil from the compost 

 heap and remove it again in early spring. This also 

 obviates the possibility of disturbing the root system in 

 getting enough material to cover the plants and leaves 

 the bed in good shape for manuring in spring. This 

 covering of soil should be permitted to freeze thor- 

 oughly, and a good coating of leaves, salt hay, or litter 

 will keep the frost in the ground until spring and elim- 

 inate the deadly alternate freezing and thawing. 



Climbing Roses can only be safely protected by bend- 

 ing the top down to the ground so that at least two- 

 thirds of the growth can be covered with soil. If the 

 plants are old, the operation will require care in bend- 

 ing over or the old wood will fracture. The gardener 

 can judge just how much of the plant can be covered 

 and drive a stake in the ground at this point where the 

 top can be securely fastened. The arched part will, of 

 course, be exposed and should be covered with rye 

 straw and capped with paper heavy enough to shed rain 

 and keep the straw in a dry condition. 



Tree Roses can be protected by the same method, 

 but as the stem or stock is hardy, it will not require 

 covering. 



ADVANTAGES OF FALL PLOWING. 



There are many excellent advantages to be derived 

 from fall plowing, one of which is that the land, with 

 the possible exception of occasional spots where the 

 soil runs together badly, can be gotten in e.xcellent con- 

 dition early in the spring with far less labor than would 

 otherwise be the case. Practical growers have learned 

 the importance of early planting. Nine years out of 

 ten the early planted crops produce the most satisfac- 

 tory yields. When breaking the ground is delayed 

 until late in the spring, difiiculty is sometimes exijeri- 

 enced in preparing a proper seed bed, and one finds 

 that, instead of being busy fitting his land for planting, 

 he is still plowing. 



When the soil is turned up and exposed to the frosts 

 of winter they penetrate it to a considerable depth. 

 This is an advantage. It has been found that unplowed 

 soils are not penetrated more than half as deep by the 

 frost as are those soils recently plowed. It is desirable 

 to loosen the earth below the depth to which the pldvv 

 goes. This is especially valuable in clay soils. With 

 ground plowed well before the ground freezes, the soil 

 will, after freezing weather has arrived, be found fro- 

 zen in this section often to the depth of 20 inches. This 

 means that every particle to that depth is moved, to a 

 small extent. The expansion of the particles of mois- 

 ture pushes apart and breaks up the most retentive soil. 

 Clay soil that has been well drained is thus made friable 

 to a great depth, and when spring comes and the frost 

 goes out of the ground the soil will be so loose that air 

 can penetrate to a considerable depth and chemical ac- 

 tion be jjrepared for. 



