SITUATION, SOIL AND PLANTING 169 



The soil in many suburban gardens consists of a 

 thin dark mixture that is obviously very poor stuff, 

 and in which it seems hopeless to attempt roses ; yet 

 often beneath the surface there is a stratum of good 

 soil. When this is the case, there should be no difficulty 

 in burying the upper and replacing with the lower soil. 

 If to this are added a few barrowloads of chopped 

 turf, farmyard or Wakeley's Hop Manure, carefully 

 selected varieties of roses will thrive very well. Even 

 within sound of Bow Bells good roses are grown. 



Planting. — I am not prepared, as some writers are, 

 to advise that each root be carefully and systematically 

 arranged at planting time. That is, no doubt, a counsel 

 of perfection, but it is impracticable ; moreover, it is 

 not necessary to be so pedantically correct. But it is 

 important to have the soil in a friable, workable state, 

 so that it may be placed closely among the roots. If the 

 ground is wet, some dry soil should be used for placing 

 directly on the roots, so that it can be readily worked 

 among them. When the roses arrive, one is naturally 

 anxious to plant them, and this may be done in any 

 except frosty weather, if a few bushels of loamy soil 

 have been kept dry for the occasion. A compost of 

 equal parts sifted loam, leafmould, old manure, and 

 burnt garden refuse would be an ideal compost to give 

 the roses a good start. If the roots are covered with such 

 a soil mixture as this, the plants will soon become estab- 

 lished. The ground having been prepared by deep digging 

 and enriched with manure buried about eighteen inches 

 below the surface, some small sticks should be placed 



