CUT-FLOWER CROPS 239 



the soil becomes filled with feeding roots, they should be 

 re-potted into the next larger size pots. 



289. Preparation of soil for house culture. This 

 has been discussed in a general way in Chapter X. As a 

 rule, the soil for large rose houses is prepared in the field 

 rather than in compost piles. Hand labor is eliminated 

 by this method, which means a saving of time and money. 



290. Season of year for planting roses in houses. - 

 All roses should be benched by the first of July, for it is 

 essential that they become established ready for the pro- 

 duction of flowers in the early fall. One grower states 

 that after the middle of July, each day's delay represents a 

 loss of twenty-five dollars in planting ten thousand square 

 feet of bench surface. 



291. Solid benches or raised beds. There is a wide 

 difference of opinion regarding the comparative merits of 

 raised benches and solid beds. In general, solid beds are 

 preferred. If good drainage is provided, the results of 

 the two are equally good. It is advocated by some 

 growers that houses with solid beds heat more easily 

 and uniformly than do those with raised benches. As 

 grafted roses are grown for several years in the same beds, 

 it is considered an advantage to use solid beds for this 

 stock. 



292. Bench construction. Benches or beds for roses 

 should be narrow. The best grades of roses are grown on 

 the outside plants, where the light and atmospheric con- 

 ditions are best. Most growers have the beds four feet 

 wide. They plant four rows, placing the plants sixteen 

 inches apart in the row. This distance, of course, varies 

 with different varieties. The sides of the bench should be 

 six inches deep, which allows for top-dressing. When solid 

 beds are used, they are from eighteen inches to two feet 



