364 ROSES. 



these will do much towards rendering the ground mellow, if it 

 be thrown up loose and rough in the autumn and exposed to 

 their action. 



Very light soils may be improved by the addition of clay. 

 This is sometimes to be found within a spade's depth of the sur- 

 face, and only needs to be turned up and mingled with the lighter 

 earth to bring it to the desired texture. When it does not exist 

 in the sub-soil, it may be brought from some convenient place 

 and incorporated with the bed. If it can be had in the form of 

 sods, and these composted with manure until the whole bo 

 thorougly rotted, it will be the very best material. 



These are the extremes which wiU require to be ameliorated, 

 but, in by far the greater number of our gardens there is only 

 need of selecting a favorable spot, where the rough winds can not 

 come with rude bluster, but where the breezes play gently with 

 the flowers, and the sun shines brightly aU the morning. There, 

 with a little extra care in stirring the soil to a good depth, not 

 mingling the bottom with the top unless required to improve the 

 texture, and by adding a good supply of manures, a favorable 

 bed may be formed in which to plant the Eose, and grow and 

 bloom it in perfection. 



The best manure for the Eose is that which, fortunately, is 

 most accessible to all. It is that of the farm-yard, where the 

 droppings from the stable are thrown out, mingled xnth the litter 

 of the bedding, and the homed cattle trample it under foot, and 

 the pigs work it over with their tireless rooting. If the soil be 

 strong clay, with a somewhat too tenacious tendency, it may be 

 well applied when about half-rotted, as the undecomposed straw 

 helps to loosen the soil, and make it more porous and friable. If 

 the soil be of a lighter tendency, the manure should be more 

 thoroughly decomposed. In those parts of the Dominion where 

 the winters are open and the ground often bare, it wiU be of 

 great benefit to apply a liberal dressing to the surface in the fall, 

 allowing it to remain as a mulch until spring, when it may be 

 forked into the soil. This mulch wiU protect the roots from 



