68 



GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



up with a four-pronged fork, well incorporating with the soil thoroughly 

 decayed farmyard or stable manure. The soil must not be brought to 

 the top, but kept in the same place. When this second spit appears 

 heavily charged with water, artificially drain the bed. To do this, the 

 second spit must be thrown out, and about 4 inches or 5 inches of 

 large stones, clinkers, or broken bricks put in the bottom, and the second 

 spit returned. It is wise to raise the bed 4 inches or 5 inches when 

 the soil is badly drained, as stagnation means that the young roots rot 

 away. When manure has been mixed with the bottom spit, the top spit 



B 



of section B is put into section A. The shovellings of section B placed 

 in A will complete the first trench. When much manure, either liquid 

 or solid, has been used on the soil in the past, a dressing of chalk would 

 improve its fertility if incorporated with the surface soil at the rate of 

 two pounds per square yard. When the soil is very light, i.e. sandy or 

 gritty, put a good layer of cow manure during trenching below the 

 bottom spit of soil. Burnt weeds and other garden refuse are excellent 

 to mix with the top soil. These may appear unnecessarily elaborate 

 preparations, but the bed when thoroughly made will last for years, 

 with the usual attention required by the plants. A pint of bone-meal 

 to every square yard should be well mixed with the top spit. 



Purchasing. Give the order to the nurseryman early, or, better 

 still, go to the nursery and bring the plants back with you. If foliage 

 is still on the growths cut, not pull, it off, and to prevent the wood 

 shrivelling, make a trench in a shady spot and place the roots of the 

 bushes in it, covering them with soil until they can be properly planted. 

 If the arrangement of the kinds has been well considered on paper the 

 Roses should be so laid in the trench as to enable them to be drawn out 

 as required without disturbing the others. Do not leave their roots 

 exposed to the air for even a few minutes. Tea Roses are best upon 

 the seedling or cutting briar, and the last-mentioned is the best stock 

 for the Hybrid Perpetuals. 



Planting. Early planting is one of the most important points, and 

 choose from the middle of October to the end of November. Roses 

 may, however, be planted in the spring, or in winter when the weather 

 is favourable. When about to plant have a bucket of water ready at 

 hand to dip the roots in. Keep the roots covered with a sack or mat 

 until required. Trim over the jagged ends of the roots with a sharp 

 knife, and if the branches are more than 2 feet in length cut the surplus 

 away, as this prevents the wind from moving the stems to and fro after 

 the plants are in their places. In planting make a hole in the soil about 

 one foot each way, and deep enough to allow space for the roots to be 



