76 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE chap. 



and I should quite allow that solid manure, in the 

 right condition and properly applied, is of great 

 benefit to Tea Eoses. 



Taking first the ordinary manure made with straw 

 from stable, cowshed, or pigstye, it is generally 

 allowed that as the Eoses like " a cool bottom," and 

 stable manure is "hot," and cow manure " cool," 

 as a rule the former is the worse and the latter the 

 better for the purpose. In clay soils stable manure 

 would be allowable and perhaps even advisable ; 

 but, otherwise, that from cowsheds or, better still, 

 from a yard where highly fed bullocks are kept, 

 would be the best of all natural solid manure, the 

 pigstye contribution ranking next in value, and 

 the general heap from a farmyard where horses are 

 not predominant being good enough for ordinary 

 purposes. 



The next question is, Is it to be dug into the 

 soil, among established Eoses, or used as a top- 

 dressing? I would avoid the digging, if possible, 

 by having rich fresh soil with plenty of humus to 

 start with, and perhaps moving the Eoses, or re- 

 planting them after renewing the beds when they 

 seem worn out. But if the manure is to be got in 

 amongst established Eoses, dug in it must be, on all 

 but light soils, with as narrow a spade and as much 

 care as possible. 



But if it is to be thus dug in and incorporated 

 with the soil among the roots, we must consider 

 what its condition should be. It should be 

 thoroughly decomposed and "sweetened" so as to 

 have lost its objectionable qualities to the human 

 senses, for not till then is it suited for contact 

 with the roots of the Eose. It is quite true that 



