GENERAL MAINTENANCE 27 



nature of the material used, is usually enough. No covering should be 

 thick enough to exclude the air entirely. When leaves are used alone 

 they will, if. piled too deeply, have a tendency to pack and heat, thus 

 causing more harm than good. In the forest, where nature provides 

 her own protective covering with the leaves, the earth is gradually and 

 evenly covered, as the leaves slowly fall and shift themselves about. 

 Mulches that completely shut out the air are as disastrous as ice sheets. 

 Any material that is apt to blow away should be held in place by using 

 light boards or small branches. 



WINTERING ROSES 



The main winter need of hybrid tea roses is protection against the 

 drying out of the stems. The best agent to supply this protection has 

 been found to be the earth itself. By bending the rose plant over as 

 far as possible without breaking it and then securing it in this position, 

 it is possible to bring the earth up about it. The plant should be prac- 

 tically buried to a depth of 6 inches, using the soil in the bed or by 

 adding additional soil, clay if possible. Over this apply a mulch of 

 hay, straw, litter, or oak leaves to a depth of 1 2 to 15 inches. 



For hybrid perpetuals, a 6 inch application of any protective cov- 

 ering of the same consistency as described for general purposes, is 

 enough. In very severe climates, tender roses should be dug up bodily 

 before freezing weather sets in ; then laid in a well drained trench 2 

 feet deep and covered with earth. Replanting should take place as 

 early as possible. In climbing roses, a protection about the vines o/f 

 burlaps and straw, or some other desirable material, is often necessary. 



REMOVING WINTER COVERINGS 



The removal of the protective covering at the proper time in the 

 spring is of great importance. Removing the covering from the plants 

 before the danger of spring frosts is past, is liable to result in disaster. 

 The first warm sun and wind will encourage an early and premature 

 growth that is quite apt to be frozen off some chilly night. Leave the 

 covering on until this dangerous period is past, then open it up to allow 

 a fairly free circulation of air before removing it entirely. It is better 

 to leave the covering' on too long than to remove it too soon, but it is 

 also detrimental to the plants to remain covered late into the season. 



If there are no bulbs in the ground and a material that can be 

 used as a fertilizer has been used for a mulch, then this can be worked 

 in to the soil. Where bulbs are growing, the mulch should be lifted 

 with a fork. 



APPLYING FERTILIZERS IN SPRING 



Springtime is the time to apply commercial fertilizers of the quickly 

 soluble sort. Roots are active at this time, and the good of the fer- 



