THE ROSE 



life with a persistency that seemed wonderful in 

 a plant of its kind. I have removed some of 

 these plants to my own garden, and given them 

 good care, and time after time I have been as 

 surprised as delighted at the result. The poor 

 little bushes, that had held so tenaciously to life 

 against great odds, seemed to have stored up 

 more vitality in their starved roots than any 

 others in the garden were possessors of, and as 

 soon as they were given good soil and proper care 

 they sent up strong, rank shoots, and thanked me 

 for my kindness to them in wonderful crops of 

 flowers, and really put the old residents of the 

 place to shame. All through the years of neglect 

 they had no doubt been yearning to bud and 

 bloom, but were unable to do so because of un- 

 favorable conditions, but when the opportunity 

 to assert themselves came they made haste to 

 take advantage of it in a way that proves how re- 

 sponsive flowers are to the right kind of treat- 

 ment. 



The Rose will only do its best in a soil that is 

 rather heavy with clay, or a tenacious loam. It 

 likes to feel the earth firm about its roots. In 

 light, loose soils it never does well, though it fre- 

 quently makes a vigorous growth of branches in 

 them, but it is from a more compact soil that 

 we get the most and finest flowers. 



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