WINTER-FLOWERING PLANTS. G5 



grown on a large scale, then the plan used by florists 

 to set the plants out on raised benches should be used. 

 When to be grown on benches, they should be phmted in 

 July, August, or September, and if wanted in quantity 

 can always be obtained from the rose-growers at the 

 wholesale rates, which run from twenty to thirty dollars 

 per hundred, according to size and variety. 



SOIL AND BENCHES. 



The soil in which the Roses are to be grown should not 

 exceed five inches in depth, the boards being so arranged 

 as to allow free drainage for the water. Periiaps the best 

 way to make the bottom of the bench is to use wall strips 

 or other boards, not to exceed four inches wide, leaving a 

 space of at least half an inch between the boards or strips, 

 so as to make certain of perfect drainage. The bottom 

 is first covered with thin sods, grass side down, or what, 

 in our o2:)inion, is better, the new packing material called 

 *^ Excelsior," and then the soil is placed on to the depth 

 of four inches. This soil is made from sods cut three or 

 four inches thick from any good, loamy pasture land, 

 well chopped up, and mixed with one-fourth of well- 

 rotted cow dung to three-fourths of sods. In our own 

 practice we use, in addition to the cow manure, one- 

 thirtieth part of pure bone dust. It is perhaps best to 

 let the sod be well rotted before it is used, although, if 

 this be not convenient, it will do fresh, if well chopped 

 up. Of late years we have used the Acme harrow to 

 break and mix up with the manure all soil used for 

 Itoses, at a saving of three-fourths of the labor. 



DISTANCE TO PLANT. 



The distance for Roses such as I describe (those that 

 have been grown in six-inch pots, and averaging one foot 



