MANUEES. 33 



of the useful soil bacteria. The form in which Humus 

 is g^enerally applied is stable manure and garden 

 refuse. Many fertilisers claim to contain Humus or 

 to increase the amount of Humus in the soil, and when 

 this is the case they are of great value. " Rito," sent 

 out by the Molassine Co., is one, and it is a most useful 

 fertiliser for the top-dressing of Rose beds. My great 

 advice to the grower is, test more than one fertiliser, 

 and see what best suits your soil ; give not less than a 

 bed or a dozen trees to a season's trial. Of course, 

 some fertilisers, such as Bentley's Rose Manure, are 

 made up to suit all soils, and so long as you follow the 

 directions for use, you cannot go wrong. Take, for 

 example, Bentley's Rose Manure, which I have used in 

 my garden with wonderful results. In making a new 

 border you dig in 4 to 6 oz. per square yard ; in top- 

 dressing in the spring you rake into the surface of the 

 soil 4 oz. per square yard ; and later, when growth is 

 vigorous, rake in another 2 oz. per square yard. For 

 Roses in pots use one part of the Rose manure to each 

 hundred parts of compost, and in top-dressing apply 

 one teaspoonful to an eight-inch pot, and to larger or 

 smaller pots in proportion twice or three times during 

 the growing season. Now, the above is the only way 

 to take in hand the use of artificial manures. Be exact 

 and you will be successful ; be careless and you court 

 a failure. 



A friend once asked me if I had ever discovered 

 the blue Rose. I told him I had done so when 1 first 

 started to grow Roses, which was true, for I gave a 

 number of my trees before a show an overdose of 

 manure, and nearly killed them all. The buds, which 

 were just coming into flower, all turned a sickly blue, 

 and these were soon removed by a sadder and wiser 

 man. 



I have dealt somewhat fully with artificials, for 

 they are the most important manures to consider, since 

 they need the most careful handling, and the benefits 

 to be obtained, if large, are fraught with dangers. 

 Natural manures present less difficulty, and there is a 



