16 



The Rcdsts* Review 





May 26, 1916. 



^ 



n^^^^^in^m^.'^^^m^^TS^ , 



THE REST THAT 

 ROSES NEED ^ 





HOW HUMISTON BESTS ROSES. 



Echoes of "Putting Roses to Sleep." 



It was with more than usual interest 

 that I read the article in the May 11 

 issue of The Review entitled "Putting 

 the Eoses to Sleep," from the virile 

 pen of Charles N. Cotter. It brought 

 to my mind an earlier article written 

 by Mr. Cotter — "Whe» Lack of Light 

 Makes Roses Lag." Articles such as 

 these, written by one who is a prac- 

 tical grower in every sense of the word 

 and who substantiates his practical 

 knowledge with scientific data, are not 

 only of great interest but also of in- 

 estimable value to rose growers, and 

 it seems to me that the articles should 

 bring forth a general discussion on the 

 part of growers. 



While not in the least presuming to 

 criticize any of Mr. Cotter's theories, 

 it seems to me that in certain in- 

 stances he takes rather too narrow a 

 view of Mbther Nature's ability to 

 provide rest for her children. In other 

 words, should we as growers assume 

 that Mother Nature has only one 

 method of providing rest for vegetable 

 bodies and that this method is the one 

 she uses in the northern temperate 

 zone in lulling her children to a sound 

 sl^ep for two, three or four months 

 during the year! Will the real facts 

 of the case, pfirticularly as regards 

 roses, hold good in this assumption! 



Observations in the South. 



From observations in the far south 

 and southwest, I find that the more 

 tender tea roses, and particularly is 

 this true of the hybrid teas, planted 

 outdoors, will go through practically 

 the entire year without being entirely 

 defoliated. I have seen Killarneys and 

 many other forcing roses in Texas and 

 New Mexico hold the old foliage or a 

 portion of it until new foliage the f ol- < 

 lowing spring was well developed, pro- 

 viding no pruning was done. I be- 

 lieve this same circumstance holds good 

 in southern California. At the same 

 time I find practically^ all classes of 

 roses thriving more vigorously in the 

 south than in the north. While all 

 forcing roses need and demand rest in 

 order that they may reach the highest 

 degree of productivity, I do not believe 

 they require that absolute rest of com- 

 plete dormancy that takes place with 

 outdoor roses in the north. 



Methods Governed by Climate. 



With our under-glass conditions, to 

 my mind partial dormancy — brought 

 about by withholding water, followed 

 by proper pruning and then, with the 

 advent of new growth and new foliage, 

 close attention in pinching the first 

 crop of buds — is of the greatest im- 

 portance, but the method used to ar- 

 rive at the given end must be governed 

 by local climatic conditions. 



To return to Mother Nature's meth- 



ods, I find that in the extreme south 

 roses will become partially dormant 

 during the mild winters, but they are 

 ready at any time to spring into active 

 growth with the first warm spell ac- 

 companied by sufficient moisture. In 

 the early spring the plants will throw 

 out a crop of flowers. With the arrival 

 of drier and warmer \7eather durii^ 

 June they frequently seem to become 

 partially dormant again, practically 

 no growth being made and the plants 

 at times losing considerable foliago. 

 As the hot, rainy season of July and 

 August approaches they will spring into 

 the most active growth and, as this 



A Fine Effect With 150 Valley .fi 



growth matures, they will commence 

 flowering and sometimes continue flow- 

 ering until Christmas. 



A Month's Rest Enough. 



In my own experience the methods 

 used in resting roses under glass in 

 the northerly states will not always ob- 

 tain in climates such as we have in the 

 south and southwest. I find that it is 

 impossible to dry our roses so long or 

 SO severely here in Kansas as we did 

 at Chicago. I find that it is absolutely 

 necessary to spray nearly every day 

 and that we must watch the edges of 

 the benches carefully in order that the 

 plants may not dry too rapidly. I have 



found that three to four weeks of this 

 drying process is sufficient, arid in this 

 ripening process I endeavor not to dry 

 the plants so severely as to cause any 

 great degree of defoliation, even though 

 most of the foliage may be taken off 

 when we prune. Our main object is to 

 stop the growth completely, thereby 

 th'rowing the strengfth of the plant into 

 tne lower eyes. 



As soon as pruning has been accom- 

 plished, I see that the benches are thor- 

 oughly cleaned of all old mulching and 

 rubbish, using short-handled hoes for 

 this purpose. I am opposed to the re- 

 moval of any of the soil or the dis- 

 turbance of the root system in any way 

 whatever. After the benches are thor- 

 oughly cleaned and all rubbish removed 

 from underneath the benches, I give 

 the first watering, and this I consider 

 to be one of the most important opera- 

 tions in the whole process of carrying 

 over the roses. 



Watering and Mulching. 



The benches must be gone over with 

 the water again and again, until every 

 particle of soil is saturated. All cracks 

 and fissures in the soil caused by the 

 drying process are completely closed 

 and the water is soaked into the heart 

 of the root system of every plant, and 

 this causes the soil to form again into 

 one homogeneous mass. 



Of late years I have followed the 

 practice of never applying mulch to my 

 benches until the first growth of new 

 foliage is out and has assumed a good, 

 healthy color. After the first thorough 

 saturation, the plants will only need 

 light sprayings for the most part, until 

 the first growth has been made and the 

 mulch put on. For mulch I prefer using 

 a thorough mixture of equal parts of 

 fibrous sod soil and cow manure that 

 is not too well rotted. Before applying 

 this mulch I give the benches an appli- 

 cation of bone meal, at the rate of ten 

 to twelve pounds per 100 square feet of 

 bench surface, following this immedi- 

 ately with the mulch. As soon as the 

 mulch is applied the benches get the 

 second heavy watering and this water- 

 ing should be as thorough as the first 

 one. In the course of a short time the 

 first growth will beg^n forming buds. 



I believe it is an established fact 

 that, with the exception of the period 

 that a plant is flowering and ripening 

 a crop of seed, there is no period of 

 growth that taxes the vitality of the 

 plant to the extent of that of the devel- 

 opment of a crop of flowers. For this 

 reason I am of the firm opinion that if 

 we expect to reap the best results and 

 obtain the highest degree of produc- 

 tivity from the plants during the win- 

 ter months, it is essential to see to the 

 pinching of the first crop of buds at an 

 early stage. 



The efforts from this time on should 

 be exerted toward producing a sturdy 

 growth of a large quantity of foliage. 

 During the early fall months I never 

 allow my plants to throw a full crop at 

 one time, but continue pinching them 

 until early November, allowing, of 

 course, enough buds to develop to give 

 me a fairly steady cut. It is during 

 this period in the fall that the greatest 

 care must be taken to retain all the 

 foliage possible on the plants. One 

 must be constantly on his guard against 

 conditions that will cause mildew, black 

 spot and yellow leaves. 



Treatment for Christmas Cut. 

 If we pass through this period sue- 



