92 A BOOK ABOUT ROSES 



before it can be deemed a profitable manure, must 

 depend on the texture of the soil, the nature of 

 the plants, and the thne of its application.^ In 

 general, clayey soils, more tenacious of moisture, 

 and more benefited by being rendered incohesive 

 and porous, may receive manure less decomposed 

 than more pulverised soils required. Again, the 

 season when manure is applied is also a material 

 circumstance. 



I have made many experiments, but I have come 

 back to the plan which I adopted first of all, and 

 I believe it to be the best — namely, to give the 

 Rose-trees a liberal stratum of farmyard manure in 

 November, leaving it as a protection as well as a 

 fertiliser through the winter months, and digging 

 it in in March. For some years I manured the 

 plants heavily in the spring, after hoeing or digging, 

 and let the manure remain through the summer. 

 This system succeeds in a very hot, dry season, but 

 makes the ground sodden when the weather is wet, 

 and at all times is an obstruction to the sunlight and 

 the air. I therefore prefer the course which I have 

 named, to be supplemented by liquid manure, 

 or some slight surface-dressing of guano (that 

 which comes from the dove-cot is still almost as 



1 See the article on Agriculture, * Encylopaedia Britannica,' ii. 300. 



