5ee Page 4—\iOVf TO SECURE A ROSE FREE 



How^ to Grow Roses 



PREPARATION OF BEDS 



The way to get the best results from Roses when 

 planted in beds is to make a trench to a depth of 

 15 to 18 inches, that is, the soil should be removed 

 to that depth, well pulverized and mixed with from 

 one-third to one-fourth its bulk with well-rotted 

 animal manure, cow-stable manure preferable where 

 it can be obtained. Before filling- in the bed it is well 

 to put in some material for drainage, such as soft 

 coal cinders, broken crockery or stones, not too large. 

 Then return the soil to the trench, and when return- 

 ed it should stand from three to four inches higher 

 than the surrounding ground, as it will quickly settle 

 below the surface. It is necessary to do this, in order 

 that the rain water will drain quickly away from the 

 bed. If, however, the soil you remove from the 

 trench is not the best Rose soil, as the best kind of 

 soil for Roses is a clayey loam, if your soil does not 

 contain this it can be improved by mixing in sods 

 from the roadsides or fields, but if your soil is too 

 heavy it should be lightened with a portion of sand. 

 The soil before returning to the trench should be well 

 pulverized, that is, make it as fine as possible, and 

 also the manure should be pulverized and not left in 

 chunks if you wish to obtain the best results. The 

 selection of your bed is a very important matter. 

 Roses thrive best where they can secure all the sun 

 possible, that is, do not plant them close to trees or 

 shrubbery, as the roots of these extend farther than 

 the branches. Select, if possible, an open situation, 

 where the plants will receive plenty of air and sun- 

 shine. It is not, however, necessary that they should 

 receive the sunshine the entire day. A southeastern 

 exposure is an ideal one. 



PLANTING 



As soon as the plants are received it is best to im- 

 mediately plant, yet if it is impossible to do this the 

 plants should be placed in a cellar or moderately 

 warm place and protected from the sun. Set them 

 upright to admit the free circulation of air. Water 

 freely from time to time. The roots should be cov- 

 ered with soil or burlap and never allowed to become 

 dry. Soaking the roots in lukewarm water or thin 

 mud for an hour or two before planting to restore 

 their vitality is beneficial. Do not set the plants too 

 shallow. They should be planted deeper than they 

 were growing in the pots before shipping. This can 

 easily be determined by an examination of the plant. 

 The roots of the plants should be spread out and 

 not cramped. Give them as near a natural position 

 as possible. Use plenty of water after planting and 

 shade for a few days if the sun is hot, with a news- 

 paper or similar material, and if the season is a dry 

 one an occasional watering will be beneficial. The 

 best time to plant such Roses as we send out, being 

 pot grown, own root stock, is in early Spring, as soon 

 as all danger of frost is past and the ground is warm 

 and pliable, or, in other words, about corn planting 

 time. This time, of course, varies with the location. 

 Here in Pennsylvania about the first of May is our 

 planting time. Further north, it is a little later; fur- 

 ther South, earlier. February, March and April are 

 good months for Roses on the Pacific Coast and the 

 far South. This refers entirely to pot-grown plants 

 and not dormant plants. 



PRUNING 



As a rule the Roses that we send out do not need 

 any pruning, being pot grown plants. However, if 

 the bushes are more spreading than is desired it does 

 not injure the plant any to prune it back. Pruning 

 can be done at any season of the year with a certain 

 class of Roses, but it is a matter to be governed by 



the judgment of the possessor of the plants. The 

 best time for pruning is in early spring, just before 

 they begin to break at the eyes. Then it is well to 

 trim Roses back to about one-third to one-half the 

 season's growth. The larger and heavier the growth 

 the more it should be trimmed. It is sometimes bene- 

 ficial in the fall to trim Roses that have made a 

 growth of from five to six feet, soon after heavy frost 

 or hard freezing. They then should be cut back 

 about three feet to prevent loosening the plants by 

 the wintry winds. It also makes them easier to pro- 

 tect. No further pruning, however, should be done 

 until, as stated above, early Spring, just before they 

 begin to break at the eye, then the old wood should 

 be pruned back and all of the wood that has been 

 winter killed. 



WINTER PROTECTION 



The protection necessary to keep Roses safely 

 through the winter months depends entirely upon 

 the character of the plant and the location. For such 

 Roses as the Hybrid Perpetuals, Rugosas, Harrison's 

 Yellow, etc, very little protection is necessary in any 

 climate, yet it is beneficial in the cold latitudes of the 

 North to give them a protection of strawy horse 

 stable manure after the first hard freeze. When pro- 

 tecting the Teas and Hybrid Teas it is a. good plan 

 to mound the earth about each plant, then fill in be- 

 tween the mounds with strawy stable manure, the 

 coarser the better. The uncovered tops may be tied 

 up with straw or burlap, or the bed filled in with 

 leaves, straw, hay, or like material. Evergreen 

 branches are also good. This protection should be 

 gradually removed in ISIarch in the latitude of Phila- 

 delphia, or as soon as all danger of hard freezing is 

 over. The tender Roses may also be wintered in boxes 

 or pots of soil in a cool cellar or heeled in the earth 

 itself. 



Diseases and Insects 



Mildew. — This disease very frequently attacks the 

 foliage of Roses, especially the Crimson Rambler. It 

 is shown by a grayish crinkling appearance of the 

 leaves and usually occurs after a change in the tem- 

 perature. It can be checked to a certain extent by 

 sprinkling the leaves with powdered sulphur imme- 

 diately after its appearance. If, however, this does 

 not check it, dissolve one ounce of potassium sul- 

 phuret in two gallons of cold water and apply as a 

 fine spray. 



Green Fly or Aphis. — A green suckling insect which 

 usually gathers in great numbers upon the tips of 

 the new growth. A solution of tobacco made from 

 tobacco insecticide soap, which you will find offered 

 elsewhere in this book, will exterminate them. 



Red Spider is also a small insect indiscernible to 

 the naked eye, and a frequent spraying with a strong 

 hose is all that is necessary. The Rose bug, a famil- 

 iar insect, appears in the earlier summer, sometimes 

 in great quantities, and is very troublesome. It is a 

 very destructive insect and usually feeds upon the 

 white petals, but is easily destroyed, especially in the 

 early morning, when they will readily fall into a ves- 

 sel containing kerosene. They can be poisoned, but 

 it is not a very desirable way to get rid of them. 



Black Spot. — A fungous disease, appearing, as its 

 name indicates, as a black spot upon the leaf, event- 

 ually turning yellow and falling. The best preventa- 

 tive if your bushes have been troubled by it in the 

 past is spraying with Uordeaux mixture in April be- 

 fore the foliage has developed and not while the fiow- 

 ers are in bloom, because of the discoloration of the 

 foliage. 



