Gardening for Amateurs 



287 



The last two lists show the result of the 

 voting of nineteen well-known amateurs and 

 nineteen prominent nurserymen who were 

 requested to place the Roses in the two lists 

 in what they considered was their proper 



order of merit. A glance at these lists 

 should show which are the varieties most 

 likely to find favour on the show benches in 

 the eyes of the judges ; intending exhibitors 

 would do well to study them. 



Pegging Down Roses. It sometimes 

 happens that better results may be obtained 

 by pegging the branches of Roses down to 

 the ground than by pruning them. By 

 pegging the branches down all the buds 

 from the base to the summit are induced to 

 produce shoots, whereas many of the buds 

 would remain dormant if the branches were 

 allowed to retain their erect position. 

 Numerous Hybrid Teas are well suited for 

 pegging down, also some of the stronger 

 Hybrid Perpetuals. Such Roses as Gloire 

 de Dijon and William Allen Richardson 

 n -| oiul well to this method, and it is wonder- 

 ful what a profusion of blossom plants so 

 tn-.-itrd produce. Anyone who has not tried 

 this plan would do well to leave one or two 



plants unpruned (except for cutting out weak 

 shoots) and peg down the strong stems. 



The Uses of Charcoal. Charcoal with- 

 draws bad vapours from the soil, absorbs 

 ammonia, yet yields it up for nutrition of 

 the plants, and removes organic impurities 

 from water. It keeps soil porous and sweet, 

 and on account of its antiseptic properties 

 can and should be used in all potting com- 

 posts. Gardeners will also find it a good- 

 plan to mix charcoal dust with seeds when 

 sowing, especially in a wet district or heavy 

 soil. Wood ashes saved from bonfires con- 

 tain charcoal, potash and salts of manganese 

 and iron ; the latter are very useful for 

 the work of those bacteria which benefit 

 vegetation. 



A garden of Roses. 



