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JcNB 22. 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



247 



during the past two months. Therefore, 

 ■while this seems a small matter, it is one 

 of the essentials which should not be 

 overlooked, as this contributes largely to 

 the health of the plants. Boses da not 

 like cold toes. 



Location is another important essen- 

 tial to the proper growth of roses, an 

 exposure from southeast to southwest be- 

 ing the ideal spot. The early morning 

 sun is most beneficial, as the plants make 

 more growth from sunrise to 8 a. m. in 

 the open than during the rest of the 

 day. A spot sheltered from the strong 

 winds and fully exposed to the sun 

 should be chosen to get the most satis- 

 factory results. 



Food and Water. 



It is needless for me to remark that 

 roses are gross feeders, and that means 

 good, rich soil. The plants will tell 

 you the condition of the soil. If in good 

 soil well cultivated, and by that is meant 

 watered when necessary, keeping from 

 insects, fungus and mildew, the foliage 

 will be luxuriant and strong and a pleas- 

 ure to look at. If, on the other hand, 

 the growth is weak and the foliage more 

 yellow than green, it would denote poor 

 soil, poor drainage, or both, or lack of 

 sufficient plant food. The keen observer 

 quickly detects this condition and, of 

 siourse, takes steps to apply the remedy. 



A good rose bloom carries with it good 

 foliage; you cannot well get one without 

 the other; they are inseparable, as the 

 flower is only the foliage developed. This 

 means good food, frequent syringing and 

 applications of water when necessary. 

 The leaves of the plant are termed the 

 lungs of the plant and they absorb a 

 great deal of nitrogen from the soil; 

 therefore the necessity of rich soil, as 

 you cannot get nitrogen if there is none 

 in the soil. You cannot take from the 

 soil what it does not contain. It is from 

 the soil the plants sustain life and exist. 

 The soil should receive careful consider- 

 ation. 



Stir or hoe the ground frequently, 

 weeds or no weeds. The proper time to 

 hoe is when there are no weeds; this is 

 beneficial to roses. Hoe a piece for proof 

 of this and leave a piece alongside not 

 hoed. Look at the two pieces or rows of 

 plants; the following morning compare 

 and observe which has the heavier dew- 

 drops on the leaves and consider whence 

 it came on one row of plants and not on 

 the other. 



Pruning. 



The pruning of hybrid perpetuals 

 should be carefully done, having in mind 

 the character of the varieties. The weak 

 growing varieties, such as Gustave Pig- 

 neau, Marie Baumann, Marie Finger, 

 and others of like character, should be 

 pruned to three eyes from the ground. 

 The more vigorous growing kinds should 

 be pruned six to eight eyes from the 

 ground. That is to say, for the weak 

 growing kinds prune close as above, and 

 for the more vigorous, not so close. This 

 may be termed pruning for quality. 



The method pursued generally in this 

 country appears to be based on quantity 

 rather than quality, sparing the knife 

 and exhausting the plants by over-crop- 

 ping and producing quantity instead of 

 quality. Far better sixteen or twenty 

 good, first-class blooms than forty or 

 more inferior ones. By pursuing this 

 system of pruning it promotes and en- 

 courages strong, vigorous shoots for the 

 toilowing year's blooms. The number 

 of shoots for the plants may be deter- 

 mined by the size and vigor of the 



M. H. Walsh's New Everbloomlng Rose, Urania. 



plants. This applies to the hybrid per- 

 petuals or remontants. 



Close or severe pruning, as it may be 

 termed, practically produces strong, 

 young, vigorous wood, even on very old 

 plants, and they may be grown for many 

 years, providing, however, the plants are 

 taken up and roots pruned once in six 

 or seven years. 



Best Hybrid Perpetuals. 



The following list contains the names 

 of what the writer considers twenty-four 

 of the best varieties: Alfred Colomb, 

 Baroness Kothschild, Ab4le Carriere, 

 Chas. Lefebvre, Clio, Dr. Audry, Duke 

 of Edinburgh, Earl of Dufferin, Etienne 

 Levet, Frau Karl Druschki, General 

 Jacqueminot, Heinrich Schultheis, Horace 

 Vernet, Juljilee, Louis Van Houtte, 

 Madam Gabriel Luizet, Marie Baumann, 

 Marquise de Castellane, Maurice Ber- 

 nadine, Mrs. John Laing, Mrs. E. G. 

 Sharman-Crawford, Margaret Dickson, 

 Prospier Laugier, Ulrich Brunner. 



Winter Protection. 



I find drawing the soil around the base 

 of the hybrid perpetuals as you would 

 hill up potatoes sheds oflf the rain, keep- 

 ing the soil dry around the base of the 

 plants. Hill up eight or nine inches and 

 fill in and over the surface four or five 

 inches of manure. This protects the 

 roots and is in good condition to dig in 

 the spring. This may be done early in 

 November, it having a tendency to 

 harden and ripen up the wood before se- 

 vere cold weather sets in. The object 

 of hilling up is to protect eight or nine 

 inches of the wood; it matters little if 

 the tops do winter-kill. Sometimes 1 



think it is a blessing in disguise, espe- 

 cially where close pruning is not prac- 

 ticed. 



Remedies. 



Hellebore dusted on the leaves early in 

 May, when the second leaf appears on 

 the young shoot, will destroy the leaf 

 roller or slug. Usually two applications 

 are sufficient, unless washed off by the 

 rains. When the white thrip or hopper 

 appears, it indicates lack of moisture in 

 the soil, as this thrip will not attack the 

 plants except in the hot, dry weather, 

 when the ground is deficient in moisture. 

 Call into requisition the force pump or 

 hydrant hose, syringing the bushes on the 

 under side of the leaves. Do not wait 

 for the elements to supply water; delays 

 are dangerous. 



For exterminating aphis frequent syr- 

 ingings with the force pump or hose will 

 prove effective and beneficial. For mil- 

 dew, sulphur dusted over the affected 

 plants will allay this disease. For rose 

 or Hessian bugs, hand picking is the only 

 effectual remedy. A good preventive is 

 to plant nearby some small white 

 shrubs, viburnum or white wigelias. These 

 will draw the rose bugs away. A white 

 flower has a peculiar attraction for them. 

 You have noticed how they select the 

 white or lighter colored roses rather than 

 the darker colored. This bug is the most 

 detestable and destructive pest to con- 

 tend with. 



Hybrid Tea Roses. 



These may be properly called the true 

 perpetual roses. While the number of 

 varieties which have proved hardy 

 enough to withstand our climate is not 

 large, there are at least fifteen varie- 



