WITH BRIEF HINTS AS TO CULTURE. 55 



Protection in Winter. 



To protect against injury from severe weather in winter, I would recom- 

 mend laying down the shoots in the autumn, the same as is done with 

 raspberry canes. In bending the stems be careful not to break them, and 

 cover with a few inches of earth, leaves, 01 branches of evergreens. Some- 

 times the shoots make such a strong growth that it is almost impossible to 

 bend them without breaking. In this case it is better to tie them to stakes 

 and cover them with straw. A little practice and experience, however, will 

 enable any one to lay down roses without injuring them. 



Care and Management During the Growing Season. 



Having procured strong, thrifty plants, and having set them out properly 

 in well prepared soil, and in a good situation, your roses ought to make a 

 good growth, If dry weather should prevail, liquid manure, well diluted, 

 will be very beneficial One of the greatest secrets of success in rose cul- 

 ture is to keep the plants in a thrifty condition. As long as the plants are 

 in robust health they easily resist the attacks of insects, and with a little 

 assistance from us they gain the battle every time. 



We hear it said frequently, " If I could only keep off the insects, my 

 roses would thrive.'' At the outset 1 am going to be plain, and tell you 

 that insects are numerous ; that they are great foes, and can be conquered 

 only by great industry and perseverance. Now, if we esteem our roses as 

 we ought to, we will be willing to devote some time to them every day. To 

 the ardent lover of the Queen of Flowers, nothing is pleasanter than each 

 morning to make a tour of the rose garden, while the plants are yet spark- 

 ling with myriads of dew drops. How can we pass an hour more pleasantly 

 than in examining the variety of growth which the different kinds exhibit, 

 in comparing the peculiarities of habit, in noting the marked vigor of some 

 sorts, the thorny shoots of others and the beautiful foliage with which some 

 varieties are clothed ? And, while engaged in this examination, let us keep 

 on the lookout for the rose caterpillar, which in May makes its appearance, 

 rolling itself up in the leaves. Its presence is easily detected, and we must 

 at once make up our minds to put an end to its career, by crushing it be- 

 tween our thumb and fingers. Go over every plant, every day, and rid them 

 of this pest. The rose slug appears in July and August, and eats the leaves. 

 It can be disposed of by hand-picking and by syringing the plants with a 

 weak solution of whale-oil soap. White hellebore, sprinkled over the plants 

 while the dew is upon them, will keep off other insects. 



Roses in Bush Form. 



The bush form is the one usually adopted, and is perhaps, on the whole, 

 the most satisfactory. Roses grown in this way produce the finest blooms 

 and furnish flowers a longer time than when pegged down. 



Roses Pegged Down. 



This is a method of bending the shoots so as to make the plants low and 

 dwarf. It is practiced to great advantage when making beds of roses upon 

 the lawn. Plants intended for growing in this way should be allowed to 

 make their first season's growth in the usual way. Early the following 

 spring shorten the longest and strongest shoots a little, and cut away the 

 weak stems. Then, before the buds start, bend the shoots toward the 



