ESSAY ON ROSE GROWING. 89 



better than anywhere else in the country, is the raised 

 bench system. The green-houses used are about twenty 

 feet wide, and are what is known as three-quarter span ; 

 that is, three-quarters of the glass roof slope to the 

 south at an angle of about thirty degrees, while the other 

 quarter slopes north at an angle of twenty degrees, 

 (see Fig. 5, p. 103,) giving a base space for the benches 

 on which the Roses are to be planted, (taking out the 

 walks,) of about fifteen feet. The benches may be either 

 a level platform, or divided into four or five platforms 

 about three feet wide, or so as to be about equal distances 

 from the glass ; the bottom of the benches may be from 

 three, four, or five to six feet from the glass, as desired. 

 There is no necessity for bottom heat for Roses, so that 

 it is best to have the pipes for heating run under the 

 front and back benches of the Rose house, with none 

 under the middle benches. 



SOIL AND BENCHES. 



The soil in which the Roses are to be grown should not 

 be more than five inches deep, the boards being so 

 arranged as to allow free drainage for the water. Per- 

 haps the best way to make the bottom of the bench is to 

 use wall strips or other boards, not to exceed six inches 

 wide, leaving a space of at least half an inch between the 

 boards or strips, so as to make certain of perfect drain- 

 age. The bottom is first covered with thin sods, grass 

 side down, and then the soil is placed on to the depth of 

 five inches. This soil is made from sods cut three or four 

 inches thick from any good, loamy pasture land, well 

 chopped up, and mixed with about one-thirtieth of their 

 bulk of pure broken bones and bone dust, or one-third 

 of well-rotted cow dung to two-thirds of sods, as may be 



