302 The American Flower Garden 



However, it does not lessen the necessity for showering the roses 

 frequently with a light spray from a hose, which also keeps 

 the foliage clean and healthy. 



To stimulate growth, coarse, medium, or fine bone-meal 

 stirred into the soil about roses is excellent, and slow or rapid in 

 its effects in proportion to the size of the grains. Frequent wettings 

 of weak manure water after buds begin to form a pailful of 

 old rotten manure from the cow barn or pigsty to a barrel of water 

 supplies a tonic that looks like weak tea are preferable to stronger 

 draughts, which either over-stimulate or burn the plants. "Weak 

 and often" is the safe rule. A half-gallon to each plant produces 

 effects that are noticeable within a week. Do not besmirch the 

 foliage with it, but apply it directly to the soil about the roots. 

 A top dressing of wood ashes in the spring restores potash to the 

 soil if it has been depleted by old plants. Light refreshments 

 during the summer, and the feeding that results from a three- 

 inch covering of rough manure during the winter, suffice to pro- 

 duce splendid roses; but no roses will be splendid unless they are 

 liberally fed and watered. Also they must be protected from their 

 enemies. 



What are they? In sandy soil the most formidable is the 

 rose-beetle; elsewhere it is less troublesome and in some favoured 

 places does not exist. Soft-petalled flowers like the damask and 

 Mme. Plantier are its special favourites, but none, perhaps, does 

 it wholly ignore, and with diabolical wickedness it goes straight to 

 the heart of the rose. Picking off the villains by hand and dropping 

 them into a can half-filled with kerosene is even more effective 

 than spraying with arsenate of lead which, however, is discouraging 

 to the pest's posterity and therefore should not be neglected. On 

 tender new shoots the little aphides or green flies, in countless 



