CULTURE OF THE ROSE. 



99 



proportioned to the size of the bush, as represented by 

 figure 31. The plant is next bent down into the excava- 

 tion, and held in place by a 

 few pegs, as shown in figure 

 32. It is then covered en- 

 tirely, root and branches, by 

 sods, placed grassy side up- 

 wards, and presents, when 

 finished, a little hillock, in 

 Fig. 31. DIGGING THE TRENCH, appearance like figure 33. 

 There is one very important condition to success, which 

 is, the time at which it is done. Few of our rose ama- 

 teurs have any idea of the amount of freezing that the 

 most tender Tea Rose even, will sustain without injury, 

 and would, in consequence, 

 be apt to hurry to put their 

 plants under their winter 

 covering on the appearance 

 of the first slight frost in 

 October. This would most 



. . , j. A T ! Fig. 32. PEGGED DOWN. 



certainly prove iatal, by 



causing them to rot during the still warm autumn 

 weather. We usually have frost in this part of the coun- 

 try in October to injure most green-house plants that are 

 exposed. Yet I have never seen it severe enough to in- 

 jure Roses of any kind be- 

 fore the middle of December, 

 to which time the covering 

 up should be delayed. Cov- 

 ering the ground, however, 

 around the bushes with three 

 or four inches of straw or 



Fig. 33. COVERED FOR WINTER. 1 - q + f 4^ fj, 



from being frozen, should be done a month earlier ; this little 

 precaution will allow of excavation at the time of covering 

 with the sod. The time here given for the operation (the 



