Plant Roses in July for Christmas Bloom- 



■By Leonard Barron ^S American 



THE ONE CROP EVERYONE WOULD LIKE TO GROW— THE WHOLE STORY FROM PLANTING TO FLOWERING 

 TOLD IN MINUTE DETAIL FOR THE AMATEUR WHO HAS JUST BUILT HIS FIRST SMALL GREENHOUSE 



ROSES for winter bloom under glass 

 must be planted before the end of 

 July, but the earlier the better. It is during 

 this month that the foundation of success or 

 failure is laid. Roses like a moderately warm, 

 moist condition, which must be provided. 



GREAT IMPORTANCE OF CLEANING THE 

 HOUSE 



Before filling the benches with soil the 

 house must be disinfected to kill any disease 

 spores or insects. In a general-purpose ama- 

 teur's house this can't be done, perhaps, but 

 a partial treatment can be given to the 

 bench. If the house is empty burn 

 sulphur on a hot sunny afternoon, shut- 

 ting up the house tightly as soon as the 

 sulphur is well lighted, and leave all snug 

 until the next morning, when the benches 

 must be washed and cleansed inside and out- 

 side, and then given a good coat of hot lime 

 wash. This will destroy any insects or 

 spores remaining in the bench. This wash 

 is prepared as follows: To nine pounds of 

 unslaked stone lime take two pounds of 

 powdered sulphur and water. Pour the 

 water over the lime, and when it commences 

 bubbling pour in the sulphur, stir until dis- 

 solved, and apply while still hot. The sul- 

 phur in the bench will help to keep the roses 



Photographs by H. Troth and others 



free from mildew and the wash to preserve the 

 wood of the benches. 



BEST WAY OF FILLING THE BENCH 



The soil as previously composted either 

 in the fall or spring is brought into the house 

 and put into the beds or benches which have 

 been thoroughly cleaned. It is well to line 

 the bottom of the bench with sod to hold in 

 the soil, grassy side of the sod down and the 

 root part up. This is specially necessary 

 when the boards of the bench are placed an 

 inch apart, as is sometimes the case. Fill in 

 three inches of soil with such fertilizer as may 

 be necessary, mixing all in thoroughly with 

 the hands, and at the same time picking out 

 all stones and any other rough material. 

 Leave the surface of the bed rounded rather 

 than level to allow for subsequent settling. 

 Don't pound the soil. Use a fork to break 

 up any lumps if you like, but the best prac- 

 tical men use their hands as the leveling and 

 finishing tool. 



JUST HOW TO PLANT 



The actual work of planting is easy 

 enough. By means of a line mark off the 

 beds so as to give the plants fifteen inches 

 apart either way, at least. Thoroughly 

 water the young plants in pots two hours 



389. The best sort of greenhouse for the country gentleman. Larger than you want, perhaps, but built in 

 the right way— for comfort, not for worry. The even-span house is the best for general purposes. The 

 tall-growing American Beauty can be set in the centre benches. The healing pipes are under the benches, 

 out of the way. The raised benches taKe less soil than solid beds, and are easily managed if carefully watered 



280 



before they are to be planted ; they will then 

 leave the pots readily and retain a solid 

 ball, and, of course, they must not be allowed 

 to dry out before being planted. In planting 

 from a pot to a bed or bench the one essential 

 thing is to have the ball of roots and earth 

 from the pot united with the new soil in the 

 bed. To attain this end loosen the ball by 

 gentle pressure, and open out the roots by 

 working with the fingers. Be careful not to 

 break the roots. Set the plants no deeper 

 than they were in the pots, and after filling 

 in with soil firm well by pressure around the 

 sides with the closed fist. Put the larger 

 plants in the back rows. As soon as plant- 

 ing is complete give a good watering and new 

 feeding fibres will be made at once. This 

 watering is given close around each plant 

 rather than over the whole bed, and the work 

 will be eased by leaving a slight shallow 

 around each plant to catch the water. Once 

 planted they must never suffer for want of 

 water, neither should they be saturated at 

 any time. 



Syringe overhead two or three times a day 

 on very hot days, and let the plants have all 

 air possible, even leaving a little ventilation 

 at night. This treatment will make a sturdy- 

 growth and solid wood, which enables the 

 plants to successfully go through a winter- 

 forcing campaign. The whole of the house, 

 walks, and under benches must be cleaned 

 up and made tidy after the planting. 



A GUIDE TO THE ART OF WATERING 



From the day the young rose plants are put 

 into the benches they must be watered fre- 

 quently and systematically. Eight times a 

 day is not too often during the most trying 

 period of the summer. There are great 

 differences of opinion on the subject of 

 watering, and there are hardly two growers 

 who treat their plants alike. In cloudy, 

 rainy weather the most careful manipulation 

 of ventilating and watering, coupled with the 

 best judgment, are necessary to maintain the 

 vigor and the health of the plants. It is not 

 then safe to water or syringe, and the only 

 thing to do is to moisten frequently the walks 

 and under the benches. One successful 

 gardener on a private estate here tells of his 

 method of watering. 



"The first good syringing is given at about 

 7 A. m., under rather than above the foliage, 

 with the idea of dislodging any insect. The 

 other six are given above the foliage, more 

 to moisten the leaves and to stop too rapid 

 evaporation from them, for being planted 

 under glass, without shade, the evaporation 

 through the foliage is more rapid than the 

 absorption by the roots. Under this method 

 I have found that the plants develop foliage 

 rapidly and of good substance, and conse- 

 quently are less susceptible to attacks of 

 mildew." 



