CULTURE OP THE ROSE. 25 



ers. A piece of land about sixty feet long by forty wide 

 was " trenched " throughout to the depth of two feet and 

 a half, and enriched with three layers of manure. The first 

 was placed at eighteen inches from the surface ; the second, 

 at about nine inches ; and the third was spread on the sur- 

 face itself, and afterwards dug in. The virgin soil was 

 a dense yellow loam of considerable depth ; and, by the 

 operation of " trenching," it was thoroughly mixed and 

 incorporated with the black surface soil. Being too stiff 

 and heavy, a large quantity of sandy road-scrapings was 

 laid on with the surface-dressing of manure. When the 

 ground was prepared, the roses were planted in rows. 

 Th'ey consisted of Hardy June, Moss, Hybrid Perpetual, 

 Bourbon, and a few of the more hardy Noisette roses. 

 They were planted early in spring, and cut back at the 

 same time close to the ground. Many of the Perpetuals 

 and Bourbons flowered the first season^ and all grew with 

 a remarkable vigor. In November, just before the ground 

 froze, a spadesman, working backward midway between 

 the rows, dug a trench of the depth and width of his 

 spade, throwing the earth in a ridge upon the roots of the 

 roses as he proceeded. This answered a double purpose. 

 The ridge of earth protected the roots and several inches 

 )f the stems, while the trench acted as a drain. In the 



