THE ROSE GARDEN 



fair-sized cinders. This "^ \\ // II II a 



can be covered with up- 11 1/ if I ^ ^^'^' ^^^^ /oT^Wirxter 



turned sods (or, if small 



stone is used, the sods 



may be omitted). Over 



this spread a layer of S^s. Ba.T\k<2cl -o^iLK 



old cow manure about ,^?:^^^^ dirl/fer wmLe-r 



six inches thick when 



tamped down. Then 



fill up the bed with good 



soil. The best prepared Fig. 85. -Protecting Roses in Winter. After the ground 



soil for Roses consists freezes, cover with leaves, litter or strawy manure 



of two-thirds good clay 



loam and one-third well rotted cow manure. The beds should then 



be allowed to settle before planting (Fig 83). 



PLANTING ROSES 



There is a wide diversity of opinion as to the best season for Rose 

 planting, but many of our most successful amateur and professional 

 growers prefer Autumn. They reason that the plant becomes thor- 

 oughly settled or established by Spring and has the advantage of a 

 full season's growth beginning the first warm Spring day. Further- 

 more, the soil is certainly in a better condition for planting in the fall, 

 being warm, moist and friable, whereas in Spring it is wet and cold 

 from thawing frost and snow. 



If planted in Fall, the bushes must be protected thoroughly, accord- 

 ing to the method described later. Whether done in Spring or Fall, 

 the actual planting operations are the same. It is most important 

 that the roots be kept moist, as the Rose produces only a few fibrous 

 or feeding roots, and those few must never be exposed to sun or air. 

 Therefore, keep them covered right up to the actual moment of 

 planting. On a bright or drying day it is a good plan to have nearby 

 a bucket of water or, preferably, of clay puddle in which to dip the 

 roots of each plant as it is unpacked or uncovered. In this way the 

 root fibers are kept fresh and the plants suffer no check. 



Just as in all other cases, the hole dug for the Rose plant must be 

 amply large to permit spreading the roots without cramping them. 



The best Roses are "budded;" that is, the desirable kind has been 

 grafted on the more vigorous and hardy rootstock. Generally the 

 "bud," or place where it was grafted or budded, is near to the roots, 



