^ How valuable lime is in the garden! How almost 

 uncanny are its qualities, for when preparing 

 rose-beds if the soil is too light or too heavy we 

 lime it; if the soil is sweet and good we lime it. 

 It seems strange, does n't it? I believe that re- 

 gardless of the character of the soil the bottom 

 of all rose-beds should always be limed. 

 ^ When preparing the beds I hope after giving 

 the bottom a coating of lime, at least six inches 

 of aged stable manure was spread upon it, and 

 then the soil that was removed in digging the 

 bed was filled in, then to each square yard of 

 the bed, one quart of bone meal, a pint of Scotch 

 soot and a quart of lime was thoroughly and 

 deeply incorporated, and a few weeks later, when 

 the bed had settled, an additional two or three 

 inches of rich screened loam brought it up to the 

 required level. Then over three square yards of 

 the bed ten quarts of pulverized sheep manure, 

 a quart of bone-meal and a pint of Scotch soot, 

 all well mixed together were thoroughly raked 

 into the soil. 



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