Ill SITUATION AND SOIL 47 



The actual gravel must then be taken clean away 

 to the depth of two feet at least from the surface 

 (some enthusiasts say three feet, but I do not think 

 it necessary or even desirable), and sufficient good 

 strong loam procured to take its place. This is 

 expensive, but is absolutely necessary for the growth 

 of good H.P.s, and will last a long time. The greater 

 part of this heavy loam should be placed at the 

 bottom where the gravel was, but a little of the light 

 soil may be mixed with the upper portion. How 

 to do this will be further described in the next 

 chapter ; but it is important to notice that when 

 the beds are thus made up of good Rose material in 

 what is naturally a gravel soil, the advantage is 

 gained of having such perfect natural drainage at 

 the sides as well as at the bottoms of the beds 

 as could not well be attained in what is by nature 

 a good Eose soil. 



Furthermore, Tea Eoses may be grown to per- 

 fection on gravel soil. A large quantity of good 

 manure should in this case take the place of the 

 poorest of the gravel both above and below the 

 Eose roots, and a little of the heavy loam may be 

 added, though I do not believe it to be necessary. 

 For Teas there is no occasion to be afraid of the 

 multitude of small stones which are natural to 

 a gravel soil; for I believe Mr. George Paul 

 was right when he stated in the Bosarian's Year 

 Book that " Tea Eoses like grit." The bloom of 

 Madame Cusin which gained the medal at the Crystal 

 Palace in 1893 as the best Tea exhibited by an 

 amateur, and was characterised by the Secretary 

 of the National Eose Society as " certainly never 

 equalled in any exhibition on this side of the 



