Roses all Winter 267 



much food shall be given to the Rose, then every- 

 thing will be plain sailing. In the first place, 

 conditions are an important factor. In one 

 case let us assume we have a very healthy, vigor- 

 ous house of Roses, roots unusually active, ready 

 to assimilate anything reasonable to their liking. 

 Then take another house only moderate, or, say, 

 decidedly below grade. The latter cannot take 

 feeding like the former. Then the question of 

 soil. Some soils are much richer in plant food 

 than others; or suppose a house of Roses received 

 a check through some unforeseen cause: under 

 such conditions mighty little feeding would be 

 required for a time. 



It is an understood fact that good Roses cannot 

 be produced in poor soil. The method of pre- 

 paring the compost is sufficient to surmise that 

 manure in that shape mixed through the soil will 

 benefit the plants for a long time, as it will take 

 the roots a considerable while to penetrate their 

 way through. Consequently, if the Roses have 

 been planted in soil as recommended, no feeding 

 of any kind will be needed for at least three or 

 four months. 



Potash and phosphoric acid are important fer- 

 tilizers for the rose crop. This can be supplied 

 in the shape of hard wood ashes for potash ap- 

 plied on the surface and watered in, as a guide 



