54 HOW TO GROW ROSES 



As to soils, the good loam so often found directly beneath 

 the sod is excellent, but is greatly improved by being broken, 

 even pulverized, to a depth of at least two spades and thor- 

 oughly mixed with about one-third its bulk of rotted manure. 

 Fresh manure must never be allowed to touch the rose roots. 

 Indeed, the more thoroughgoing way is to make sure of the 

 nether layer of soil by removing the upper one. First of all, 

 peel off the sod (it will produce excellent compost; see section 

 on "Fertilizers" that concludes this chapter); next take out the 

 top layer of soil to the depth of 1 foot and pile it nearby. If 

 the soil below that is good, rich loam, or a fair mixture of clay 

 and loam, it may remain. Loosen this with a garden fork to a 

 depth of another foot, preferably not upturning it, and mix 

 with it well-decomposed manure, and then put back the top 

 layer of loam in which to plant your roses. 



If, on the other hand, you find the subsoil poor, barren, and 

 unproductive, you may have to remove it altogether. Haul it 

 away and put your chopped-up sods in the bottom, grass-side 

 down, to rot and make future plant-food. If you have ready 

 from the previous year a compost made by mixing one-half 

 or two-thirds of sod with the balance of manure from the cow- 

 stables, use it in the bottom of your bed, and thus insure a 

 future storehouse of rich nourishment for your roses. 



Another hint: A few broken bones may be mixed with the 

 soil in the bottom of the trench, say a peck for a bed holding a 

 dozen roses. These will decay slowly and furnish plant-food 

 for three or four 3^ears to come. 



Not all roses like the same soils. The Hybrid Perpetuals, for 

 example, love a heavy clay or loam; so do the heavier-growing 

 climbers; whereas the Teas, Hybrid Teas, Bourbons and the 

 like, revel in a lighter soil and a warmer one, w^ith less than 50 

 per cent clay or loam, and more sand or leaf-mold. Rugosas 

 thrive even in quite sandy soil. 



It is difficult to give the roses too rich soil. If your soil is 

 light and sandy, and you cannot well replace it entirely, it 

 may be greatly improved by mixing a little clay or rich loam 

 with it when trenching. If your soil seems too heavy, it can 

 be made lighter and more open by adding sand, or even coal- 

 ashes. To be good for roses, the soil must be such as will not 



