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GARDEN CULTURE OF THE ROSE 



In answer to thousands of inquiries, which we have each 

 season from our customers, we give the following plain directions 

 for the culture of the Rose. Our readers will of course under- 

 stand that the most intelligent cultivation will sometimes prove 

 a failure, owing to adverse seasons or unfavorable soil and 

 location; but under ordinary conditions, if the instructions 

 given below are followed out, success should follow. 



LOCATION AND PREPARATION OF THE SOIL. To 



obtain the best results, Roses must be planted where they will 

 have the full benefit of the sunlight; even in a slightly shaded 

 place they never do so well. The soil should be dug to the 

 depth of at least one foot, and thoroughly mixed with not less 

 than two inches of well-rotted stable manure; in the absence of 

 stable manure bonedust should be put on at the rate of 10 lbs. 

 to every 100 square feet of surface; this should be well incor- 

 porated with the soil to the depth already named. 



THE BEST TIME TO PLANT is usually about May 1st, in 

 this section, the time varying, of course, according to season and 

 location, in the extreme Southern States they may be planted 

 from October to April; while in the extreme North planting may 

 be delayed as late as middle of June. 



POT-GROWN PLANTS that have had a partial rest during 

 winter are by all odds the best to set out, as they are in condition 

 to take root in the soil and grow at once after being planted. 

 We are so firmly convinced of the superiority of this system of 

 culture that we grow all our Roses in this way, and ascribe the 

 uniform success obtained in planting our Roses (as compared 

 with dormant stock lifted from the open ground) to this cause 

 alone. In planting, it is only necessary to- make a hole a little 

 larger than the ball of earth on the plant, and after it is set in, 

 firm the soil well around the roots, otherwise the dry air will 

 shrivel them up and prevent their development. Never set the 

 plants out should the ground be wet and soggy, but wait until 

 it is fairly dry. After planting give the soil a thorough soaking, 

 and should the earth around the plant be dry it should be thor- 

 oughly saturated with water a day or so before planting. 



DISTANCE TO PLANT. The first season of planting, the 

 Roses should be set about one foot apart each way; the next 

 season, if desired, one-half of them may be moved and planted 

 in another place, as the growth that they will make the second 

 year would be sufficient to fill up the space. 



PRUNING. The Hybrid Perpetual class of Roses should 

 be pruned back to two or three buds or eyes each season; the 

 pruning may be done at any period from the time the leaves drop 

 in November until April. The Tea Roses, however, require 

 but little pruning, simply thinning out the shoots where they 

 have grown too thick. 



TREATMENT OF ROSES WHEN RECEIVED. When 

 Roses are received from the florist in mid-winter, they should be 

 placed in boxes of any good, rich earth, or in flower pots of a 

 size suitable for the roots, given a good watering, and placed in a 

 temperature, if possible, not to exceed 50 degrees at night, 

 although when the sun is shining through the day 10 or 20 degrees 

 more will do no injury. The amount of water necessary must be 

 determined by their condition — if growing vigorously, and the 

 weather is bright, water may need to be applied each day; if 

 they have not begun to grow freely, and the weather is dull and 

 moist, they may not require water more than once or twice a 

 week. If there is no glass structure such as a greenhouse or 

 pit to place them in, they will do very well placed in some light 

 window facing the east or south; in this condition they will 

 bloom during the winter and spring. If then wanted for out- 

 of-door planting, they should be planted in the open ground 

 after it has been prepared as directed, any time during the first 

 week in May in such latitudes as New York, earlier if farther 

 south, and later if farther north. When Roses are received 

 from the florist at the planting season they should be shaded from 

 the sun for a few days after planting, as being boxed when sent 

 by mail or express, they require this protection from the bright 

 sunlight unxil they get partly established in the ground; — 



WINTER PROTECTION. The Monthly Roses are only 

 half-hardy, and are therefore liable to be winter-killed where the 

 thermometer falls 25 degrees below the freezing point, so that 

 protection is necessary. The best way to do this is to bend the 

 branches down and fasten them securely within two or three 

 inches of the ground, by tying them to stakes driven in for that 

 purpose, or if close enough they may be tied to each other. 

 Then spread dry leaves or rough litter over them to a depth of 

 say six inches. This should not be done, however, until severe 

 cold weather sets in, so that nearly all the leaves are off the plants, 

 and they are thoroughly ripened, which is usually about Decem- 

 ber 1st, in this latitude. This covering should not be taken off 

 until all danger of severe frost is over, say about April 1st, in 

 this section. 



SUCCESS depends in a great measure on the care given to 

 the plants after planting. The soil should be stirred frequently 

 with a fork-hoe or hand-cultivator, so as to keep it mellow, as 

 well as to keep down weeds. This is particularly necessary 

 during dry weather, as ground which is frequently cultivated 

 will be found to retain moisture far better than if it is allowed to 

 become baked into a hard crust; in addition to this it induces a 

 development of young roots close to the surface. Care must be 

 taken, however, 'not to hoe too deeply so as to injure the young 

 roots. Another important point is to cut off all the flowers 

 which are past their prime, as not only are they unsightly, but 

 they tend to weaken the plant by forming seedpods; by removing 

 them the strength which would otherwise be wasted goes to form 

 new growth thus increasing the number of blooms. 



CLASSIFICATION. Roses are described in our catalogues 

 under the heads Hardy Hybrid Perpetuals, Hardy Climbing 

 Roses, Hybrid Teas and Tea or Monthly Roses, so that the buyer 

 will be able to distinguish to what class they belong and have 

 them treated accordingly, or order from such classes as are best 

 suited to the district in which they are to be planted. The teas 

 are all of the tender Monthly class and would not be hardy in 

 any district where the temperature falls lower than 25 degrees 

 below the freezing point. Such Roses, when erown in the North- 

 ern States, can be lifted in October or November and placed in 

 pots or boxes, and if given plenty of light, such as being placed 

 in a light sitting-room or in a greenhouse, will bloom throughout 

 the winter. In cases where they are not wanted for winter 

 blooming, we would advise their being lifted up in November, 

 placed in boxes and kept in a cold cellar, giving them one water- 

 ing when they are placed in the boxes, but no more until they 

 are taken from the cellar and planted in the open ground the 

 next season in May, as already directed. 



THE INSECTS AND DISEASES which attack theRose (and 

 other plants as well) are usually the effect of a condition and 

 not the cause — troubles of this kind rarely attack healthy and 

 vigorous plants. It is the weakened, sickly plants which are 

 the victims. The best remedy, then, is prevention. Keep 

 your plants in good health by a little care and attention, and 

 there will be little trouble from these pests. 



GREEN FLY (Aphis) is one of the most common, but for- 

 tunately the most easily destroyed of any insect that attacks the 

 Rose, as it succumbs to tobacco in any form; the most conven- 

 ient being tobacco dust, which should be liberally scattered over 

 the plants, first wetting the foliage so that the dust will adhere 

 to it. This should be done as soon as the p>ants start to grow 

 so as to prevent the insects from gaining a foothold, in which case 

 it is very difficult to get rid of them. 



THE ROSE SLUG is a light green, soft, worm-like insect, 

 varying in length from one-sixteenth of an inch to nearly one inch 

 in length. There are apparently two species or varieties of this, 

 one of which eats only the cuticle of the lower side of the leaf, 



HENDERSONS 



Garden Bulletin 



No. 5 



POT-GROWN ROSES 



PACKING AND SHIPPING ROSES 



FROM OUR GREENHOUSES, JERSEY CITY, N. J. 



PACKING PLANTS. Next in importance to growing good 

 plants is proper packing of them, so that they may reach the 

 purchaser without injury. The system of packing plants that 

 obtains today was evolved by the founder of our house and 

 perfected by him. Our plants almost invariably reach the 

 purchaser as fresh as when they left our greenhouses. 



OUR GUARANTEE. We guarantee safe arrival of all plants 

 sent by express in the United States. Should anything be in- 

 jured in transit we urge our customers to notify us at once on 

 receipt of the goods, and in every case send us a list of what 

 has been damaged, so that we can replace them without delay. 

 But when they arrive in good condition our responsibility ceases. 



" The Rose is fair, but fairer we it deem, for that sweet odor 

 that doth in it live. ' ' 



Peter Henderson & Co. 



35 & 37 Cortlandt Street, New York 



Copyright, 1916. by Peter Henderson & Co., N. Y. C. 



the other eats it entirely. The first is the most destructive as 

 in a few days after they make their appearance the leaves appear 

 as if they had been burned. The remedies for this insect are 

 given in the following paragraph. 



THE ROSE CHAFFER usually attacks the buds and blossoms 

 of the Rose. An excellent preventive remedy for this and the 

 Rose Slug is whale-oil soap dissolved in water in the proportion 

 of one pound to eight gallons. This, if steadily applied twice a 

 week with a syringe on Roses before the leaves have formed in 

 the spring will entirely prevent the ravages of these troublesome 

 pests. Another remedy is Paris Green mixed with water in the 

 proportion of one ounce to 100 gallons, and used with a syringe 

 as recommended for the whale-oil soap. These remedies are 

 only preventive, however, as if the insects get a good hold it is 

 almost impossible to eradicate them, unless by hand picking. 



THE ROSE BUG (Aramigus Fullerii) usually confines its 

 ravages to Roses in-doors, and is rarely destructive in the open 

 ground. The perfect insect is somewhat like a small cockroach 

 having a hard shell of a brownish color. Its presence is detected 

 by the ragged semi-circular pieces which it eats out at the edge 

 of the leaves; but it does little harm at this stage. The mature 

 insect deposits its egg close to the stem of the Rose; these soon 

 hatch, and the larvas (or grub) at once begin to feed on the roots. 

 The only remedy is to pick off the perfect insect, which will 

 usually be found on the stems and the under side of the leaves. 

 Care must be taken in picking them, as they drop to the ground 

 on the slightest alarm, where they lay perfectly quiet, their 

 color harmonizing with the soil, makes it no easy matter to find 

 them. If the larvae attacks the plants in large quantities it is 

 impossible to successfully combat them; the plants and soil also 

 should be thrown out, as nothing has been found to kill the insect 

 in the larvas stage, and the Roses will do no good while the grub 

 is at the roots. 



THE RED SPIDER is a minute insect, almost invisible to the 

 naked eye, and only makes its appearance in a hot and dry 

 atmosphere. Their presence is shown by a hard and brown 

 appearance of the foliage. If the under side of the leaves is then 

 examined great numbers of these little pests may be seen. Fre- 

 quent syringing of the foliage will keep the plants clear of them, 

 but if they are allowed to gain a foothold, the leaves which are 

 badly affected had better be picked off and thrown away. 



MILDEW is a species of fungus generated by exposure to 

 chilling winds, and is apparent by the presence of a grayish white 

 film on the affected parts; it is very hard to effect a cure in the 

 open air, where the conditions that produce it are beyond control; 

 but it can be held in check by dusting the plants with Flowers of 

 Sulphur, or syringing with a preparation made for the purpose, 

 known as "Bordeaux Mixture," which can be procured in our 

 seed stores. 



BLACK SPOT is a parasitic fungus which manifests itself in 

 the form of round or irregularly shaped black spots upon the 

 upper surface of the leaves. Generally only the full grown leaves 

 are attacked, and it gradually spreads through them, destroying 

 the circulation of the sap and causing a premature fall of the 

 foliage. The Moss Roses and Hardy Hybrid Perpetuals are 

 more subject than the Tea or Monthly class to this disease. 

 There is no known certain remedy for it, up to the present time. 

 The only thing to be done is to pick off and burn all affected 

 leaves so as to prevent its spread, as it is quickly contagious. 

 It is usually a consequence of an injury to the roots either by an 

 excess of moisture or an excess of drought. When grown out 

 of doors the danger from drought may be remedied by watering 

 but nothing can guard against injury from dull, wet weather. 



When Roses are wanted to be grown on a larger scale for 

 winter blooming, we refer to Peter Henderson's books, if for 

 private use, to "Gardening for Pleasure," or if for commercial 

 purposes, to "Practical Floriculture," in which very full and 

 concise directions are given the lapt editions of which were fully 

 revised and enlarged by the author. 



"I am sending you herewith a picture of the Roses I got from 

 you last season with which I am much pleased. The blossoms hung 

 so long on the bushes and were so perfect, that they were greatly 

 admired." GEO. M. MARCKRES, Sharon, Conn. 



• 



Cut this out and mail direct or attach to your regular order. 



Peter Henderson & Co. 



SEEDSMEN 



35 and 37 Cortlandt Street, New York 



PETER HENDERSON & CO., give no warranty express or 

 implied, as to description, quality, productiveness, or any other 

 matter of any Seeds, Bulbs, or Plants they send out, and they 

 will not be in any way responsible for the crop. If the purchaser 

 does not accept the goods on these terms, they are at once to be 

 returned. 



Name 



Address 



Amount enclosed Date 191 



Quantity Price 



PETER HENDERSON & CO., 35 and 37 CORTLANDT STREET, NEW YORK 



