324 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



such refined flowers, it must be admitted, but very wel- 

 come to the plants all the same. Flower-lovers who 

 find their lot cast in clayey places are sometimes tempted 

 to repine, but it cannot be other than cheering to them 

 to know that it is just such soil as this which Roses love. 

 Clay, clay, and again clay ! Dark greyish soil that 

 works stiffly under the tools, and gets putty-like when 

 wet, is clay. If such a soil were ploughed it would be 

 seen that the surface of the ridges turned over by the 

 ploughshare shone almost like steel. Farmers do not 

 plough, and gardeners must not dig, such land when 

 it is very wet. It is best broken up after frost, as then 

 it crumbles. Dug two feet deep, and well manured, 

 it makes grand Rose soil. But loam, which is a mixture 

 of clay and sand, is also a good soil for Roses, and, 

 fortunately for Rose-lovers, loams are common. Is 

 your soil of a brownish or reddish hue, reader ? Then 

 it is probably loam. If it is a very pale brown, can 

 be dug easily, and crumbles up readily when first 

 shifted with the tool, it is probably a sandy loam, and 

 will need deep working and a liberal dressing of de- 

 cayed manure not less than two heaped barrow-loads 

 for every square rod before it will grow Roses well. A 

 sandy loam is not so good as a clayey loam, but it will 

 produce satisfactory Roses if it is treated as suggested, 

 and if manure is dug in every year afterwards. A light, 

 shallow soil overlying chalk is nominally bad for Roses, 

 but after some experience with it I am able to assure 

 readers that it can be made to produce very fair results. 

 The procedure is to remove the top soil in sections, 

 break up the chalk to the depth of nine inches, lay 

 on it a thick coat of decayed stable manure, replace 

 the top soil, and lay another coat of manure on that 

 after planting. If the top layer of manure is considered 



