THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Fig, 1474. — A Scene in Early Spkino 



WINTER PROTECTION. 



WHEREVER grape vines and 

 blackberries and rasp- 

 berry bushes need cover- 

 ing up to save them in 

 winter, rose bushes are benefitted by it 

 also. We save those vines and canes 

 by laying them down in their rows and 

 burying them over with earth. This also 

 is an excellent way to protect roses. 

 But when we grow roses closely in beds 

 this is not always practicable. What 

 then shall we do ? 



First, see to it that the ground about 

 where the roses are growing is so well 

 drained that no water can lodge or ice 

 form there in winter. Secondly, in 

 order to have good roses in June, we 

 most prune our bushes well back in 

 , spring. As these bushes are now pretty 

 big and have long stout canes standing 

 up to the blast it would be well to 

 shorten these canes to one-half or two- 



thirds their length, but not nearly short 

 enough to equal spring pruning, to ren- 

 der them easier to handle and give us 

 less to cover up. Then bend them over 

 as flat to the ground as you can with 

 the canes leaning all one way and 

 lengthwise in the bed but their ends a 

 little inclined to the middle, and fasten 

 them in this way with hooked pegs or a 

 few plaster laths laid across them and 

 nailed or tied to pegs. They are then 

 ready for covering up. Be careful now. 

 Plants are seldom hurt by frost in the 

 first of the winter ; the great trouble 

 comes after January. By covering up 

 extra early you render your plants far 

 more tender than they would be did 

 you not cover till late. Have every- 

 thing ready in good time, however, and 

 before the frost takes a hold of the 

 ground because you can do the work 

 so much better and handier then than 



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