FOR THE HOME BEAUTIFUL 61 



keep the soil cool, and also help to reduce the 

 labor of cultivation to a minimum. It is well to 

 cut your Roses with liberality, but if you wish 

 to leave them on the plants, at least be sure to 

 remove them from the bushes as the flowers fade, 

 cutting the stems well back, usually leaving only 

 the last three leaves on the shoot. By so doing 

 you will encourage new growth, have better 

 blooms, and more of them. 



FEEDING THE ROSES. You must feed your 

 Roses if you would keep them blooming all sum- 

 mer. Manure water is not to be beat. You can 

 have a barrel with a wooden spigot in it; place 

 a layer of straw in the bottom of the barrel, then 

 six inches of manure, another thin layer of straw, 

 and so on to the top. Fill the barrel with water, 

 and as it percolates down through the manure and 

 is drawn off for use, you can refill again with 

 water at the top. Use one part as drawn from the 

 barrel, to four or five parts water, and apply to 

 the beds. 



Another method is to take pulverized sheep 

 manure, place in a bag, and soak in water. And 

 still another plan is nitrate of soda, dissolved one 

 ounce to each gallon of water. 



In addition to using any of these methods for 

 feeding your Roses, they will also be found excel- 

 lent for forcing various annual and perennial 

 plants as well. 



