126 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



cultivation, as the best garden Roses do, the wild Roses may often 

 be used with good effect. 



On this day, 1st October 1919, many of the finest Roses are in 

 good bloom. I have grown Roses here for over a quarter of a 

 century with success and without the usual excess 

 Rose culture. of manure below and on the surface, this last 

 called mulching. It seems to me that to cover 

 beds near the house with excreta from the farm and other yards is 

 anything but a sanitary or even a necessary thing to do. So our 

 Rosebeds are done without it either above or below. We never mulch 

 the beds, but cover them with beautiful plants instead. We set the 

 Roses rather thin and add many plants beneath them, mostly low 

 in stature. The beds were dug deep, a base of poor shale thrown 

 out for 3 feet. The turf on the surface was buried, and that we 

 found to be a mistake, as it was full of grubs of daddy-long-legs and 

 other pests, which destroyed the Carnations for two years afterwards. 

 We ought to have burned the turf. The soil was cool loam rather 

 heavier than I should make it now, being then misled by the 

 catalogues, which told us that Roses must have heavy soil and heaps 

 of manure. Now we only cover the surface with beautiful life, and 

 practise rotation on that. For example, one year's Mignonette is 

 followed by the Missouri Primrose. 



In past years an enormous amount of manure was used in 

 gardens in excess of what the plants really needed. Deep soil and 

 a good free texture soil is quite as important. Let us not forget that 

 some so-called artificial manures are really natural, such as bone and 

 other fertilisers, which may be used when helpful ; but in my garden, 

 where we have certainly the finest Roses, for many years we use no 

 stable manure. 



I have some reason to think that the usual way of grafting 

 Roses on the Dog Rose is not the best way for the varieties 

 of soils and conditions in Britain in which all wish to grow 

 them. 



Tea and China Roses were grown for many years, and as they 

 were invariably bought grafted on the Dog Brier of the hedgerow, 

 much trouble arose from suckers. But in this case the plants were 

 kept in view in bold groups for ten or more years. In that way the 

 effect of soil, climate, and growth could be seen better than in 

 growing single plants. The main result was that more than half 

 the kinds of Tea Roses perished on the Dog Brier, some after 

 flowering badly for years and some dying altogether ; others did 

 well and remained in health. Some like Comtesse du Cayla flowered 

 bravely for some years, and then came the briers in strong force and, 

 being anchored on the great roots of the Dog Brier, were very hard 



