72 



THE BOOK OF THE ROSE 



CHAP. 



for in most cases manure given early will not hinder the 

 flowering, and a certain length and strength of stem are 

 necessary for a good bud, but occasionally it might 

 cause the wood to be longer than necessary and the 

 bloom to be delayed. At all events it is when once the 

 tiny bud is formed that the Rose most needs support ; 

 all the powers of roots and leaves are at that time 

 devoted to the Rose itself, and then is the special op- 

 portunity for feeding with a lavish hand. Do not be afraid 

 of making your Roses " coarse" : we can always find room 

 for superfluous energy by less rigorous pruning in 

 spring, or later by judicious caution or delay in 

 disbudding. 



The ordinary liquid manure which I should recom- 

 mend would be the drainings after rain from cowyard 

 or pigstye or both, but not from the stable, which 

 is often, from being less diluted, too strong. Free 

 access to a tank containing the drainings and storm- 

 washings of a cow or bullock yard is well worth paying 

 for by any Rosarian. As a rule it will not require 

 dilution, for I have used quantities of it for years and 

 never found it too strong for established plants, even 

 though it may bring up and kill the earth-worms. In 

 such a case, though, it may also kill any leaf it touches, 

 and should be put on with care, not letting a drop fall 

 upon the plant. In dry weather the contents of such 

 a tank from a covered yard might possibly be too 

 strong, and it is well to be cautious ; but it is a 

 fortunate circumstance that after rain is the best 

 opportunity for applying liquid manure, viz., just the 

 time when such a tank would be full and not too strong. 



This should be remembered as a possible error for 

 an assistant to make ; he may be apt to think that 

 when the ground is dry is the time for liquid manure, 



