ROSES FOR THE GREENHOUSE 229 



buds are seen, give weak doses of liquid made from fresh 

 cow manure and soot, two of the former to one of the 

 latter. 



I strongly advise giving roses plenty of air from the 

 commencement if blooms are not wanted before May ; 

 (but if required in March little or no ventilation is needed 

 beyond that which the plants receive through chinks in 

 the glass). It is a mistake to keep the house in a stuffy 

 condition. The atmosphere should be " buoyant," and 

 to secure this just a chink of ventilation should be 

 afforded for an hour or so each day. Small wooden 

 shutters let in the side of the house are excellent. These 

 can be opened a little almost every day without allowing 

 a rush of air to enter, and they keep the atmosphere 

 " sweet." 



Feeding roses is a term used by gardeners when 

 liquid or other manure is applied to the plants. Roses 

 in pots, if well rooted, are greatly benefited by strong 

 liquid manure as soon as the flower buds are seen ; but 

 to give liquid manure to weak plants is fatal. Many 

 growers of pot roses do not repot their plants every year, 

 consequently the ball of soil becomes almost a mass of 

 roots. Such plants may receive liquid manure twice a 

 week as soon as the flower buds are visible. If given 

 before, rank growth is encouraged which often fails to 

 bloom. Cow manure and soot make a capital liquid 

 food. Half a bushel of fresh cow manure is put into a 

 porous bag with a peck of fresh soot, and the bag is 

 immersed in a cask holding about thirty-six gallons of 

 water for two or three days. The liquid should be diluted 



