W . R. Gray, Oakton, Fairfax County, Virginia 
does do it. Usually with a thunder-shower. Of course, the thunder is not strictly neces- 
sary, but you will see that She uses plenty of water and your rose bed is soaked. So when 
real dry weather comes and you have to resort to artificial watering, go about it in the same 
way and pour water on them until they cry enough. 
Lest you be mistaken, dig down and see how far the water has soaked; perhaps you will 
be surprised to find that it is only an inch or two, which is not enough. 
As soon as the bed dries out after rain, or being watered, so the soil is in a mellow 
condition and will crumble in the hand, use the hoe vigorously and frequently. “By the 
way, no grass should grow nearer than two feet to any rose bush.” 
Do not use water again until the soil begins to look quite dry and you are sure that the 
plants are in need of water, then soak them as before ; if you have not a good supply of 
water, extra cultivation and hoeing will make watering less necessary. 
The following diseases and insect enemies are the ones you are most likely to be troubled 
with, but they are very seldom a serious menace to .rose growing. Mildew, which has 
somewhat the appearance of a fine white powder on the roses, sometimes occurs in early 
summer, and is due to conditions of the weather, and not to any condition of the plant when 
you get It. There is not much to be done for it but to dust on dry powdered sulphur, and it 
will usually pass off without any serious damage. 
Any Fungus disease of the foliage, which usually causes dark or black spots to appear, 
may be checked with Bordeaux mixture, or any of the preparations sold for the purpose. 
If you cannot get these preparations, make a spray with one pint of ammonia and three 
ounces of carbonate of copper to twenty-five gallons of water. 
Green lice and plant lice frequently cause some trouble, but are easily checked with any 
solution of tobacco, or the tobacco soap that we sell for the purpose. Any slugs or small 
worms which attack the foliage are best killed with powdered Helebore dusted on in the 
morning while the plants are moist with dew. The rose bug, which eats the blooms and 
foliage in early summer, is rather difficult to kill with any poison, and should be picked 
off by hand. 
Time to. Plant. The best time to plant roses -is in early spring. Two and three-year-old 
plants should be set out as early as the soil can be prepared, even if severe frosts may 
follow ; they usually will do better than if planted later ; but for those who are unable to 
plant early I have plants in pots, so they may be shipped at any time, these having been 
dormant all winter, but will be in full foliage after about the middle of April. The mailing- 
size plants, however, should not be set out until after danger of frost is over. Except in the 
most northern States, roses may be planted in the fall, and will start earlier and make a 
better growth than those set out in the spring; they should, however, have a good protection 
during the first winter. 
Pruning. Two and three-year-old rose bushes should be cut back within six or eight 
inches of the ground as soon as they are planted ; some growers practice pruning them to 
the third or fourth Icaf-bud. The shoots should be watched and pruned as required during 
the growing season, care being taken to prevent long canes from outgrowing others and 
giving a straggly appearance to the bush. A good general rule is to cut back each shoot 
to half Its length after it has bloomed. 
Winter Protection. The purpose of winter protection is not so much to keep the wood 
from freezing as it is to prevent it from alternate freezing and thawing. In the latitude of 
Washington, all that is necessary is to cover the bed with three or four inches of leaves or 
other mulch. Farther North it is well to cover the canes to a depth of five or six inches, 
and in exposed locations it is well to protect them with cornstalks or evergreen boughs. 
The safest protection for very tender varieties, or in severe climates, is to bank up with 
earth about the stems to eight inches or a foot, then tie the tops with straw or other light 
material; then if the top should freeze above the earth banking, it may be cut away and 
you have enough buds below the earth to make a good plant again. " 
It is not well to cover roses with leaves or any such material in such quantity as to hold 
moisture about them, as they may rot entirely, and are often better without any covering. 
Frau K. Druschki is a variety that is usually given too little pruning. If properly grown, 
there should be straight canes of new growth by the first of July six feet in height. These 
should be cut down at that time to two feet. As a result, you will have a much larger 
quantity of bloom during the fall. This rule will apply also to a number of varieties that 
make similar growth. 
Practically all my roses are grown on their own roots. I believe these are best for 
amateur planters, as all the growth that comes from the roots, or any part of the plant is 
the same, which is not so with budded plants. I can supply budded plants to those who 
want them. 
2 
