60 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP. 
a good soaking with water, and at the end of three 
days the plants will generally be restored to their 
original condition. 
The very first opportunity when the soil is com- 
paratively dry should be chosen for the planting, and 
one of the most important points to remember is 
that the roots should never be allowed to become 
dry; they should be kept under matting or damp 
leaves or soil till actually wanted, and exposed to 
the air as little as possible. Some recommend the 
dipping the roots in a pail of thick puddle composed 
of clay, cocoanut fibre dust, and water, as a protec- 
tion from drying air: but I do not think this is 
necessary or advisable where there are small fibrous 
roots, as these get matted together and cannot be 
separated without some danger of injury. In spring 
planting, if the sun be bright, it is safest to carry 
the Roses in a pail of water from the place where 
they have been laid in during the winter to the bed 
where they are to be planted. 
Another equally important point is that the Roses 
should not be planted too deeply. I consider four 
inches sufficient for ‘‘dwarfs”; standards may be 
planted an inch or so deeper, and a little further 
apart from each other. Comparatively shallow 
planting, especially if the Roses are going to be 
cultivated, and not neglected, is a great secret of 
success. A good piece of advice is to mark the line 
of soil upon the plant, and be careful not to cover it 
deeper than it was before; and a bad one is to plant 
deeper in light soil to avoid the drought. The prin- 
ciple of shallow planting and dependence on hori- 
zontal surface roots 1s well understood by gardeners 
in the case of fruit trees; they will take much pains 
