Round the Year in the Garden 



of growing good Roses lies in removing some of it, and 

 replacing with turf soil, otherwise called loam. There is 

 nothing like trenching from 2 to 3 feet deep for improv- 

 ing average land. Farmyard manure and basic slag are 

 the best manures to add to clayey loam, which is the 

 kind of soil found in most gardens. The slag, a slow- 

 acting fertiliser, is applied at the rate of 6 oz. to the 

 square yard ; this and the yard manure should be mixed 

 with the soil beneath the roots, say, from 12 to 15 inches 

 deep. Farm manure is now difficult to obtain in many 

 districts, and an efficient substitute is found in Wakeley's 

 Hop Manure. Spent hops in themselves have little 

 manurial value, though they may be mixed with light 

 soil to improve its mechanical condition, and are also of 

 service for top-dressing in early summer to prevent loss 

 of moisture by evaporation. The best material to dig in 

 light land is chopped turf, and burnt soil is most useful 

 for lightening clayey ground and rendering it more 

 workable. 



The question is often asked whether yard manure, 

 applied to the Rose beds in autumn, should be left on 

 the ground throughout the winter, or forked beneath the 

 surface. I believe the latter to be by far the better 

 practice. Its presence on the surface of the beds pre- 

 vents exposure of the soil to the beneficial action of 

 natural agencies, such as frost, rain, snow, and sunshine. 

 Soil covered by a mass of manure is bound to remain wet 

 and cold, and many roots, especially as they are inactive, 

 are likely to perish. 



It is advisable to prepare the ground a week or two 

 in advance of planting to allow the soil to settle ; if the 

 Roses are put in while the ground is loose, the stems may 

 be left high and dry, or buried too deeply, as they have 

 been loosely, or firmly, planted. The chief items to bear 

 in mind when planting are to cover, with an inch of 

 soil, the point at which the Rose was budded on the stock 

 (denoted by a knpb-like swelling) ; to spread out the roots ; 



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