Cultural Instruction for Dingee Roses. 
Plan Your Rose Garden 
Preparation 
If the location where you wish to plant them is 
moderately drained or water does not stand for days, 
or dig a small hole 12 inches deep and fill with water, 
if the water disappears in a short time the situation 
is all right, and you can simply spade the soil up to 
a depth of about 10 inches mixing it with ordinary 
well rotted manure of any kind, returning it to the 
hole or bed and plant roses as directed below. If, 
however, the soil is heavy clay and water does not 
disappear when you fill the hole, beds may be made 
as follows: 
Dig the bed about 20 inches deep. A good plan is 
to put the top spadeful of soil on one side of the bed 
and the bottom spadeful on the other. For the bot- 
tom of the bed put in drainage material if necessary. 
Replace the top soil to the bottom of the bed and 
the lower soil to the top of the bed. While replacing 
mix in one-third well rotted cow manure. If you can 
not possibly get cow manure, bone meal at the rate 
of 2 lbs. to the square yard is good. Use other manure 
or fertilizers carefully as they are apt to burn the 
roots. Manure and fertilizers must be well mixed in 
the soil. Work the soil fine and tramp it down very 
firmly. Have the surface of the bed an inch above 
the surrounding soil. 
Fertilizing 
Roses appreciate plenty of good food. 
This is a question we are frequently requested to 
answer. Cow manure is generally preferred, and can 
be used in fresh condition. Horse manure when new 
is very heating and should not be used while in this 
condition, except as a winter mulch. Hog, sheep and 
chicken manure are also very helpful. The last two, 
however, should be used sparingly. Ground bone is 
beneficial, but should be secured as fine as possible, 
and it should be used sparingly. The best method is 
sprinkling a portion over the bed until the ground 
is entirely covered, then with the use of a fork it can 
be dug into the soil and thoroughly mixed. Air 
slaked lime is also beneficial, about a cupful to a 
plant scattered on the surface in early spring and 
mid-summer. A mulching of cow stable manure is 
very beneficial during the growing season. It helps 
to retain the moisture during the dry season, as well 
as a food for the roots, 
| 
t 
It is of utmost importance that 
sufficient time and care be giver 
to the planning of a rose garder 
before ordering the plants. This ig] 
true for both formal and informal 
gardens, and even though it is pos-_ 
sible to have only one small bed. 
the selection of varieties to fill, 
that bed must be done with the. 
aim of having roses that will be. 
best adapted for the purpose in 
view. If the object is to have a rose. 
garden, or if it is merely to beau- 
tify the lawn, the main end is tq 
have a harmonious and pleasing. 
effect from the planting as a whole. 
This end cannot be attained by 
indiscriminate planting, but by. 
painstaking planning before any 
plants are set into the ground. 
The very best soil for roses is a 
rich clay loam but any good garden soil will grow 
good roses if fertilized, drained and cultivated. | 
They may be planted from a foot to 18 in. apart. 
each way or in beds narrow enough so that one can. 
cut the blooms without being entangled in the briars. 
If, however, too much food or fertilizer is given roses, 
the roots will not grow so well nor be so strong as. 
if a moderate amount of fertilizer is used. : 
Planting | 
As soon as the plants are received it is best to. 
immediately plant, yet if it is impossible to do this, 
the plant 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. When 
you receive them they will be wrapped in Sphagnum 
Moss, which should be removed before planting, as 
it is used only for protection. Water freely from time 
to time. The roots should be covered 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 de-— 
termined by an examination of the plant. If you re-' 
ceive them with the soil on the roots in which they 
have been growing, do not remove this soil. 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 newspaper or similar 
material, and if the season is a dry one an occasional © 
watering will be beneficial. The best time to plant! 
Roses such as we send out, being pot-grown, OwD 
root ‘stock, is in early spring. This refers entirely tc. 
pot-grown plants and not dormant plants. By dor-, , 
mant plants we mean field-grown; that is, lifted from, 
the field and have not made any gorwth whatever — 
Such plants as these should be set out earlier thar: } 
pot-grown plants. 
Cultivation 
Cultivate top soil about 2 inches deep every week 
or after every hard rain. Do not cultivate when wet 
This may be discontinued after the blooms come 
when a good mulching of Peat Moss, cow manure | 
tobacco stems, buckwheat hulls, are left around the 
bushes the balance of the season. In dry weather 
water thoroughly at least once a week, and in the) 
morning. | 
oS’ ft? a=: 
