16 HOW TO GROW ROSES 



with it when trenching. If your soil seems too heavy, it can 

 be made lighter and more open by adding sand, or even coal- 

 ashes. To be good for roses, the soil must be such as will not 

 quickly transmit to the roots sudden surface changes of 

 temperature. The roots should be kept cool. If it be pos- 

 sible after the soil in your bed has been prepared, give it 

 time, say two or three months, to settle before planting your 

 roses. If this be out of the question, press with your feet 

 each layer of soil in your bed, as you proceed to fill it in. 



Fertilizers 



While manure from the cow-stable is best, you can draw 

 upon the horse-stable, sheep-pens, or pig-sty with expectation 

 of good results, and "night soil," mixed with dry soil, or 

 sand, and well composted is excellent. Well-rotted leaves are 

 fair, but too light except for heavy soils. Commercial fer- 

 tilizers, such as ground bone or guano, may be used with 

 advantage if handled with discretion. A rule to remember is 

 never to let any "green" or "raw" manure come close to the 

 roots of your roses, but see that it is buried well beneath the 

 root reach, or applied as a top-dressing. After your roses 

 have been planted, the best time to apply manures is just 

 as the ground begins to freeze in the autumn. Let it serve as 

 a protection over winter, and dig it in next spring, being care- 

 ful, however, not to disturb the roots. 



Far better than surface-coating is the ample supply of 

 fertilizer placed well under the roots in the bottom of your 

 beds, before you plant your roses, because roots travel 

 toward their food-supply. By thus enticing them downward, 

 you develop a strong, deep root-growth down into the 

 reservoir of stored-up food and moisture, so that, when dry 

 weather comes, they will not hunger and thirst, as they would 

 with only surface roots. Surface application of manure-water 

 is quite a different matter, as that will percolate down to the 

 deepest roots. 



It is said that roses draw most upon the soil when bloom- 

 ing, and we find you can almost see the results from applica- 

 tion (when the flower-buds begin swelling) of liquid manure, 



