SOILS AND THEIR PREPARATION. 21 



Nevertheless, even this land should be trenched, heavily 

 manured with old manure throw^n in at the bottom of 

 the trench, and if the soil is poor, as dug-, it should be 

 enriched with turf loam, burnt ash, leaf-mould, scrap- 

 ings of an old pond, and old mortar that has been 

 broken and sifted. Try and keep the top foot of your 

 Rose-bed as much like a rich potting soil as possible, 

 and you can never go wrong. Of course, this is ideal, 

 and it is not to be expected that soil on a low scale can 

 equal carefully prepared potting soil; but to the true 

 lover of the Rose it will not be so very difficult to get 

 near such excellence. After all, we can only make the 

 best of the materials we have, and, although we would 

 like to do better for the Queen of Flowers, still, she is 

 not over-exacting, and I often think it is our enthu- 

 siasm that carries us away to execute almost unneces- 

 sary work on her behalf. 



Nature is very generous, and as a rule it is a case 

 of eyes and no eyes, for there is nearly always material 

 at hand from which to fashion what we require if only 

 we could but see it. Odd bits of turf should be stacked 

 and allowed to decay, for there is no better soil. If a 

 bed is in course of construction, turf can be thrown in 

 just as it is cut to the bottom of the bed with the 

 manure. About the second or third year the roots of 

 the Rose trees will tap these resources, and the benefit 

 will be seen very quickly. In dealing with soils, it is not 

 out of place to treat of the immediate surroundings of a 

 Rose border, for in the case of low-lying land beds 

 should be kept raised as much as possible, especially 

 on a clay soil. Large trees and shrubs, if growing 

 near, will be sure to send out their roots towards th^ 

 better soil, and very soon the Rose-beds will become 

 filled with thin roots, and the soil will be impoverished. 

 The ash tree and the elm are two of the worst offenders, 

 and nearly every kind of poplar is to be avoided. Still, 

 beggars cannot be choosers, and in many a garden it is 

 proximity to a tree or nothing. In this case keep away 

 as far as you can, and be prepared to re-make the 

 border on the very first signs of your trees going back. 



