MANURES FOR ROSES 



207 



growers to-day. The recipe for Tonks' Manure is as 

 follows : 



Superphosphate of lime 

 Nitrate of potash 

 Sulphate of magnesia . 

 Sulphate of iron 

 Sulphate of lime 



12 parts 



10 



2 



1 



It is applied in February to the surface of the rose 

 beds, at the rate of quarter of a pound to a square yard, 

 and then hoed in. The manure should be stored in a 

 dry place. A lighter dressing may again be given late 

 in May should the spring rainfall be heavy. 



One of the best natural manures is nightsoil. Burnt 

 earth or burnt garden refuse is added liberally, and the 

 material, after lying buried for twelve months, may be 

 dug out and applied to the rose beds in autumn, or 

 in February, and lightly forked beneath the soil. This 

 forms a splendid stimulant if applied in June in liquid 

 form. Drills are drawn between the plants, and about 

 six inches from them. The manure is made into liquid 

 by adding housemaid's slops and water ; it is poured 

 into the drills, and the latter are covered in the next 

 day. 



An excellent substitute for nightsoil is native guano. 

 I have had splendid results from its use. 



Fowl manure is an excellent article, but it should 

 be used cautiously. It is, I think, best applied in liquid 

 form. Two bushels tied in a porous sack, and placed 

 in a cask or tank holding one hundred gallons of water, 



