a 
ete 
March, 1906 
a rose more than stagnant water at its roots. Therefore, in 
selecting a location for your rose garden select a place natur- 
all well drained, if possible. If it is not so, see to it that good 
artificial drainage is provided. 
As I have said, the rose likes a somewhat heavy soil— 
A Rose-Covered Porch 
something that will make itself firm about its few and rather 
large roots. Some of the finest roses I ever saw grew in clay 
containing coarse gravel. Absolutely the finest rose I ever 
had grew in the soil of an old chipyard, but when I tried to 
grow other varieties there they refused to respond as the 
first rose did, and it had the satisfaction of having all the 
yard to itself, after the second year. The poorest roses I 
ever had grew in a soil of leafmold and loam, in a bed pre- 
pared with much trouble, under the impression that I was 
doing my plants a kindness by taking such pains for them. 
They lived in it, but that was all. 
Roses are great eaters. If you would have perfect flowers, 
in profusion, it is imperatively necessary that you feed your 
plants well. Nothing in the line of fertilizers suits them so 
well as old, thoroughly rotted cow manure. That which is 
_ black and crumbles readily under the application of the hoe is 
the ideal food for this plant. It should be used in liberal 
quantities and worked into the soil well. Fresh manure should 
never be used, except as a mulch. Where manure from the 
cow stable can not be obtained, guano or bonemeal can be sub- 
stituted with good results. The dealer of whom you purchase 
these fertilizers will tell you how much to use, as he under- 
stands the strength of the grade he handles. Those who live 
in the city will, as a general thing, find it necessary to depend 
upon one or the other of these fertilizers for rose food. 
Those living in the country will find their plants greatly 
benefited by frequent applications of liquid manure during 
the budding and flowering season. Canon Hole, who under- 
stood roses better than any other man, said: ‘The happy 
rosarian who has a farmyard at his disposal will, if he is 
wise, have a large tank in which to prepare liquid manure 
for his plants. At all times, and especially in seasons of 
drouth, this will be more precious as a restorative and a 
tonic to his roses than the waters of Vichy and Kissengen to 
his invalid fellow man. Only let him remember this rule of 
application: Weak and often rather than strong and seldom.” 
AMEREGCAN FOMES AND GARDENS 17 5 
Roses grown for the market in the open ground ought, if 
possible, to be planted while dormant. ‘To lift a plant after 
growth begins is to give it a check so severe that it will be 
a long time in recovering from it. Therefore, planting early 
in the spring, before growth begins, or in autumn, after it 
ceases, is advised. For the hardier kinds, such as the June 
flowering sorts and the Hybrid Perpetuals, I consider autumn 
planting preferable. The very tender kinds can be held in 
reserve for spring planting. 
[ would advise buying plants on their own roots. A great 
deal of trouble results, where budded roses are used, from the 
dying off of the graft. Stalks will be sent up from the roots 
below the place of grafting, and these will grow luxuriantly, 
and naturally the owner will be cheated into the belief that 
by and by he will have a magnificent crop of flowers from 
his vigorous plants. But year after year passes, and no 
flowers appear, and he wonders what is wrong. Only when 
he finds out that the rank growth from which he had hoped 
so much comes from the root upon which the choice variety he 
bought was grafted—and not from the graft—does he 
understand the reason of failure. Roses upon their own 
roots may not be as satisfactory in some respects as grafted 
ones, but they can always be depended on to produce the 
flowers you had in mind when your plants were bought, if 
the dealer labeled them correctly. ‘They will never disap- 
point you by making a great growth and failing to bloom. 
In planting roses be sure to have the hole made for them 
so large that all their roots can be spread out naturally. 
Never twist or cramp them in an effort to get them into a 
hole too small for them. Put a little more work on the 
undertaking, and enlarge the hole to fit the spread of the 
roots. Bed the roots in fine soil, and when you have them 
covered press it down until it is quite firm about them. A 
loosely planted rose will generally refuse to grow, and always 
to grow well. It may come on after the soil has had time to 
settle compactly, but it is likely to lose a good part of the sea- 
Hybrid Perpetual Rose 
son waiting for this to take place. This loss of time, and 
possibly of the plant, may be avoided by doing the work of 
planting as it ought to be done. 
I would not advise scattering roses about the lawn. The 
fact is, few varieties are strong enough in their habit of 
