IN SUMMER 



only be avoided by furnishing each plant with 

 a support. Neat little wooden stakes, painted 

 green, can be bought very cheaply at the flor- 

 ist's. If these stakes are housed in winter, 

 they will last several seasons. One stake in 

 the centre of a group of Gladiolus stalks will 

 be sufficient to support all of them if they are 

 tied lightly to it. Danger consists in the 

 stalk's breaking at its junction with the root, 

 and whatever prevents it from falling in such 

 a manner as to cause disruption there is amply 

 sufficient in the way of support, as the stalk 

 itself is tough and elastic, and is seldom broken 

 by severe winds. 



Tea Roses like to have their roots damp and 

 cool. It is an excellent plan to keep them well 

 mulched with grass-clippings from the lawn. 

 When the clippings begin to decay, dig them 

 into the soil and apply more. Let them be 

 two or three inches in depth, and so spread out 

 that the ground is entirely covered by them. 

 The soil in which these Roses are planted ought 

 to be very rich. Old, decomposed cow-manure 

 is the ideal fertilizer for this plant. After all 

 the buds on a branch have developed into flow- 

 ers, cut it back sharply. Leave but one or two 

 "eyes" on it. These, if the soil is sufficiently 



91 



