58 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP. 
before they have lost their leaves. The bundle 
should be always unpacked at once, unless there be 
strong frost; and if the frost continue, it will still 
be well to unpack them, remove the frozen surface 
from a piece of unoccupied light land, and “lay 
them in.” This should be done with some care, 
seeing that the roots are not bruised or laid too 
closely together, that all are deeply covered with 
soil, and that the tops are also protected from the 
frost by green boughs, matting, or some such 
material. They should also be laid in if the 
weather is wet and planting cannot be proceeded 
with at once; it is far better to do this than to 
plant when the soil is sticky. Nevertheless, every 
effort should be made to get the planting done in 
November, and not to defer it till the spring; for I 
have often seen that fresh roots are commenced 
during the winter months by Roses planted in 
November. 
Great care should be used in disentangling and 
untying the heads of the Roses when unpacking, 
as there is still considerable danger, with the 
““maiden”’ or one-year-old plants, of the head 
being clean pulled out of the stock. Good plants 
will have good roots, that is, many and fibrous, 
rather than few, strong, and long. In ‘ dwarf”’ 
Roses (by which term is understood all sorts even 
of the most vigorous growth which are budded on 
the stem of the stock near the root, and not on the 
branches to form standards), good plants will have 
very little length of stem between the roots and 
the point where the stock was budded, whether 
they be on briar or manetti: a perfect dwarf plant 
should have no ‘‘leg’”’ at all. The wood should 
