38 PICTORIAL PRACTICAL ROSH GROWING. 
Chapter 8.—Bow to Plant. 
WHEN the soil has been properly prepared for Roses, planting 
is both swiftly and simply performed. When it has not been 
properly prepared, planting is slow and difficult. 
People may have realised this with their Geraniums. Set 
out to plant a flower bed without a preliminary digging, and the 
trowel can only be driven in with an expenditure of force that 
the economical mind recoils from. Use the fork first, and the 
trowel does its work with ease. 
When the soil has been well trenched for Roses, shovelling 
out to get in the plant is child’s play. The spade never bites 
and jars; it sinks freely and luxuriously in, revelling in its © 
pleasant duty. The soil comes out all a-crumble. 
The hole may be made nearly 1 foot deep. If that has not 
brought the operator into the neighbourhood of the manure 
used in the bastard trenching, a light coat of well-decayed stuff | 
may be laid in and covered with a couple of inches of soil. Do 
not make a deep, narrow hole and pack it with rank dung; 
that is bad. 
Set the plant squarely in the hole, and see how things are 
for depth. What we are aiming at is to finish with the collar 
just, and only just, covered with soil. If when we set the plant 
in we have so far miscalculated in our shovelling that the collar 
is distinctly below the surface level, we must withdraw the tree 
and put in a little more soil ; if the collar is above the level we 
must have some out. 
We shall find from experience that the rootstocks of our trees 
differ, some being deeper than others. We could, of course, so 
manipulate them as to make them very much alike; but that 
is just what we are not going to do. ~ 
The next step to getting a proper level is to cover. Stand 
the plant square, and work some fine soil about the roots. 
Lightly shake the tree, and settle this soil in among the roots. 
Afterwards, fill the hole. People are often rather nervous 
about firming the soil. They fear the weight of the gardener’s 
foot, and dread injury to the roots. These fears are, in the 
main, groundless. When one has had experience in planting, 
he does not damage roots in firming the soil with his foot. 
Using the toes and ball, he gently, but withal firmly, “ kneads ” 
the soil into a compact mass. 
Let the absolutely upper layer of soil be loose, and scatter 
over it a thin mulching of manure ; then the work is done. 
What, though, about staking? It ought not to be wanted’ 
