THINGS THAT MATTER 65 



immune to this disease, and, judging by experiments with other 

 things, we believe much may be achieved in that direction ; but 

 that pertains to the future, and dealing as we are bound to deal with 

 existing conditions, there are exceedingly few varieties, if any, 

 which remain immune if subjected to conditions favourable to 

 this fungus. 



Sometimes the kind of stock upon which a rose is worked may 

 be a predisposing factor, and we venture to say this, for many years 

 ago we banished the de la Griff eria stock from our nurseries because 

 the roses growing on it were badly affected with the mildew while 

 the same varieties on other stocks growing side by side with them 

 were not so affected. This is an avenue which has been and is 

 still being explored, and, so far as our own observations go, the 

 Rosa laxa stock would appear to give the most satisfactory results. 

 We must watch this and regulate our procedure by the findings of 

 science. 



Now to bring the matter down to practical politics. We submit, 

 not without diffidence, yet not without the most careful consider- 

 ation, that the best way open to us at present is to fight the mildew 

 along hygienic lines call it soil-hygiene if you will, for we are 

 convinced in our own minds that bad soil-conditions are responsible 

 for a great deal of the mildew now so prevalent. With us this is 

 no new gospel we have been preaching it for years, and age and 

 experience only make us more convinced and ardent in advocating 

 it. We have great faith in the value of deep cultivation, a perfect 

 tilth, a soil right in texture and well drained. We believe in the 

 application of organic manure not turned in with the spade in solid 

 masses, but worked in and thoroughly incorporated with the soil. 

 Rose roots penetrating into a mass of manure will, when the manure 

 runs dry, almost assuredly cause mildew, and dryness at the roots 

 from any other came will have the same effect. We have seen 

 plants badly affected when their roots were in cold, undrained 

 clay, but we have seen them far worse when grown in shallow, 

 gravelly soil which held no reserve of moisture whatsoever. Both 

 extremes are bad, and we shall the more carefully avoid them as we 

 appreciate the fact that we can best combat the mildew by taking 

 more care of the roots and securing for them such perfect hygienic 

 conditions that they can grow and function healthily. 



