84 THE ROSE. 



all be found excellent, but nothing I believe 

 is better than a mixture one-third each 

 of cow-dung, rotted hops, and turfy loam. 

 Horse-dung is much better for heavy soils 

 than for light, and cow-manure does not do 

 so well for soils inclining to be wet. In the 

 hot, dry weather, which we often have in 

 summer, a good watering of liquid manure 

 will be of very great benefit to the plants, 

 more especially during the time of the forma- 

 tion of flower buds. "The happy rosarian 

 who has a farm-yard of his own will, of 

 course, have a large covered tank therein, 

 for the reception and preservation of liquid 

 manure. At all times, of drought especially, 

 this will be more precious as a restorative and 

 tonic to his roses than the waters of Kis- 

 singen, Vichy, or Harrogate to his invalid 

 fellow-men. Only let him remember this 

 rule of application weak and oft rather than 

 strong and seldom. I bought my own ex- 

 perience by destroying with too potent pota- 

 tions forgetting that infants don't drink 

 brandy neat the delicate fibrous rootlets of 

 some beautiful rose-trees on the Manetti 

 stock."* Night soil would be found a most 

 valuable manure, if people would only 

 rightly prepare and use it, but each rosarian 



* S. R. Hole. 



