How to Grow Roses 



"The love of flowers is of those few earthly pleasures which age cannot wither." 



— Dean Hole 



A Pleasant Hobby. Growing Roses is not an expensive luxury, 

 neither does it require a large amount of hard labor. A love and de- 

 votion that begets intelligent, diligent care when needed is the great 

 requisite. 



Having chosen the location for our Roses, let us make ready the 

 bed. The simplest and easiest way is to spade the soil deeply and mix 

 with it a good supply of well-decayed stable manure. But to raise 

 the best Roses it will pay to be more thorough. 



Soil. If the soil is naturally well drained it will be unnecessary to 

 provide drainage. But nothing is more prejudicial to the health of 

 Roses than poorly drained soil, therefore, if needful, provide drain- 

 age. Dig a trench to the depth of 23^ feet, and in the bottom de- 

 posit a 4- or 5-inch layer of drainage material so that all surplus 

 water will drain away quickly. It is a good idea to mix with the 

 soil in the bottom of the trench a few broken bones, say a peck for a 

 bed holding a dozen Roses — they will furnish plant food for the 

 Roses for three or four years to come. Now let us refill the trench, 

 but make sure that the soil is rich. "It is difificult to give the Roses 

 too rich soil." That which you removed from the trench thoroughly 

 mixed with well-rotted manure and kept cultivated will in eight 

 cases out of ten answer nicely. Tramp the soil in the bed and let 

 it settle. This work should be done as far in advance of planting 

 as possible, so that the soil will be firm at the time of setting the 

 plants. Should the soil be very light or sandy, it can be greatly 

 improved by mixing a little clay with it when trenching. Too heavy 

 soils can be made lighter and more open by adding sand, or even 

 coal-ashes. 



The best soil for Roses is a compost of one-half broken sods or the 

 soil directly underneath filled with fibrous grass roots, and one-half 

 barnyard manure, all thoroughly decomposed. 



Manures. While manure from the cow stable is probably best, 

 you can draw upon the horse-stable or pig-sty with equal expecta- 

 tion of good results, and "night soil" mixed with dry soil or sand and 

 well composted is unsurpassed. Well-rotted leaves are fair, but too 

 light except for heavy soils. Commercial fertilizers such as bone 

 or guano may be used to advantage if handled with discretion. A 

 rule to remember is never to let any "green" or "raw" manures come 

 close to the roots of your Roses, but see that it is buried well beneath 

 the root reach, or applied as a top-dressing. 



The best timeto apply manures is just as the ground begins to 

 freeze in the autumn, let it serve as a protection over winter and dig 

 it in next spring. It is said that Roses draw most upon the soil when 



blooming, and we find you 

 can almost see the results 

 from application (when the 

 flower -buds begin swell- 

 ing), of liquid manure, con- 

 cocted by catching the 

 drain from the manure pile, 

 or one-third of a bushel of 

 manure soaked in a barrel 

 Layers of stones like this are nor essential if ^^ ^^^^r and applied as a 

 the ground is naturally well drained weak tea, not too strong, 



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