28 MANUEES 



shoddy, bone meal, soot, old stable manure and the 

 like, and then, when the trees are established, the 

 same should be top dressed with natural and artificial 

 manures. Old garden land, as a rule, is rich in 

 humus or decayed vegetable matter, but having been 

 cropped heavily it is generally found to be lacITmg in 

 many mineral ingredients so much required by the 

 Rose. Lime is the best tonic that can be given to 

 old and often sour land, and it is perfectly marvellous 

 what a coating of lime w^ill do for worn-out soil that 

 has been overfed for years. Here it is fitting to dis- 

 cuss the best form in which to administer manures, 

 whether in solid or liquid form. Personally, I lean 

 towards the solid form, although it is evident tfhat 

 the liquid form, as might be expected, is considered 

 the best, for it is in this form that it is taken up by 

 the plant. But it is far easier to give an overdose in 

 liquid form, and also it entails greater labour and 

 trouble, since all applications are best administered 

 after a storm of rain, which may easily be missed. 



On the other hand, solids are always waiting on 

 the rain storms, and, w^hile waiting, imparting to a 

 certain extent nutriment to the soil. When the 5uds 

 are swelling, manure in liquid state is the best form 

 in which to administer it to your trees, but this is 

 g^enerally given as an extra, the soil, as a rule, hav- 

 ing been well manured first. 



This question is often asked : ** Which is the 

 better plan, to top dress or to dig in all manures? " 

 It is a little difficult to answer, for while you do both 

 there is no doubt but that all manures should be 

 placed under the soil, to return to it those properties 

 it requires. If left exposed, much of the goodness is 

 lost; this Is most noticeable on certain days when we 

 pass by a farm yard and smell the ammonia given off 

 by the manure heap which is heating or which has 

 been washed out by heavy rain. 



In spite of this, I hold that top dressing after 

 soil has been originally dug and prepared to be the 

 best way in which to administer manures to Rose 



