276 



Gardening for Amateurs 



a very beautiful Rose. Free in growth ; 

 blossoms continuously, deliciously scented, 

 and is hardy. 



Alberic Barbier (Wichuraiana). Yellow, 

 turning to white. Extremely rapid grower. 

 Blossoms early and is very beautiful. Elise 

 Robichon would be a good alternative ; 

 salmon-buff and yellow, almost always in 

 bloom. 



Manuring Roses in Autumn. In Rose 

 growing there are two things which must 

 never be forgotten first, that the Rose is a 

 gross feeder and requires a large amount of 

 good fertilising manure ; second, that nothing 

 secures more satisfaction than healthy con- 

 ditions at the roots. 



Basic Slag. When the stormy winds of 

 October have dashed the last flowers into 

 masses of discoloured petals, dress the soil 

 round the roots with basic slag and fork it 

 lightly in. Basic slag is of the utmost value 



An ugly doorway masked by climbing Roses. 



to the bushes, because it contains much phos- 

 phatic matter, which is active in producing 

 good flowers. It has sufficient lime to remove 

 the sourness consequent on heavy applica- 

 tions of farmyard manure, while at the same 

 time there are present small amounts of other 

 salts wonderfully active in promoting and 

 sustaining a healthy constitution. Basic 

 slag must undergo many changes in the 

 ground before these ingredients are of any 

 avail ; hence the necessity for early applica- 

 tion and the need for thorough digging into 

 the ground. Six to 8 oz. per bush are 

 ample yet not excessive, and the powder 

 must be scattered evenly around the bush 

 before being forked in. Always buy slag 

 in the finest possible form, for this is a mark 

 of quality in the manure. 



Farmyard Manure. After slag, farmyard 

 manure is all important, the former ensuring 

 a good healthy digestion and the latter sup- 

 plying food to .digest. Organic 

 matter like farmyard manure 

 contains an astonishingly small 

 percentage of soluble com- 

 pounds which can be absorbed 

 by the bushes and used as 

 food ; in fact, the important 

 point about farmyard manure 

 is that it yields up its fer- 

 tilising ingredients slowly as 

 they become changed into 

 available form's. If the 

 manure is applied in autumn 

 the chemical action goes on 

 gradually until, when the 

 bush awakens into new life 

 at the call of spring, a 

 nutritive store of the very 

 best food is collected for the 

 roots to absorb. Never put 

 the manure on top of the soil, 

 one of the worst practices to 

 adopt, especially in the heavy 

 ground which suits Roses : dig 

 it in round the bush but back 

 from the roots, and the juices 

 will percolate through the 

 ground and reach the plant. 

 Another method widely adopted 

 in the north is to remove the 

 upper layer of soil and to re- 

 place manure and soil mixed 



