6 
FRANK CANT & CO., 
HINTS ON GROWING ROSES. 
ARRIVAL OF PACKAGE. — Take it to some sheltered place and carefully unpack. 'J ake the plants 
from the bed of straw, and the roots and tops thoroughly sprinkle with water. Should the weather be wet, 
and the soil unfit to receive them, it is best to open a trench, lay the roots of the plants in thickly, and cover 
them well with earth until the weather is fine, and the soil sufficiently dry to tread upon. Standard or Dwarf 
Teas may be left in this position until March, before planting them in their permanent quarters. If the opera- 
tion of planting is being performed during a drying wind or a sunny day, it will be advantageous to the plants 
before removing them from the shed in which they were unpacked to dip their roots into a pail of 
thick puddle composed of loam (or any adhesive soil) and water, two or three times. By this operation the 
small fibrous roots will be covered with a coating sufficient to protect them from the most searching winds. 
Assuming that the ground has been previously put in order to receive them, follow then the instructions for 
planting. 
DELAY IN TRANSMISSION. — Seldom does it occur that packages are delayed in transit for any 
length of time, but occasionally it does happen that a package becomes overdue, and when delayed for more 
than a week it is necessary to carefully examine the plants on arrival, to ascertain if they have suffered. If any 
appear shrivelled buiy them completely in a trench six inches deep, and allow them to remain three days under- 
ground, then take them up and plant them in their permanent quarters. Our system of packing is so perfect, 
under ordinary circumstances plants will take no harm if delayed on the journey ten days or even a fortnight. 
SITUATION. — The most perfect situation for roses, and paiticularly exhibition roses, is a bed to themselves, 
sheltered, if possible, from ihe south west and north cast, and shaded from bright sunshine after 3 o’clock in the 
afternoon ; a little shade is most beneficial, but there is no garden in which some roses may not now be grown 
successfully. 
SOIL.— That which they especially delight in is a rich unctuous loam that feels greasy when pressed between 
the fingers ; where this is not to be had, the soil should be improved : if light, by the addition of loam (not clay) 
well worked in ; where heavy, good drainage and the addition of coal ashes in small quantities will help it, but 
in such soils drainage is most important. 
PLANTING. — This should be done in the latter part of October or November, but may safely be continued 
until March. If a bed of roses is required, it is necessary that the soil be dug 18 inches deep, mixing in plenty 
of manure with it. If planted with standards they should be planted about two-and a-half feet apart, and require 
to be securely staked to pi event the winds from moving them. If planted with dwarfs, one-and-a-half to two 
feel apart is the correct distance for most sorts, and if they are required to furnish a quantity of bloom for house 
or garden decoration, pruning must be sparingly done, cut back the weaker shoots to within about 3 or 4 inches 
of the base, and the longer and stronger shoots may be reduced by one third of their length and bent 
over in the shape of a bow, and kept in that position by means of a crotch stick inserted tightly in 
the ground. Plants treated in this manner form lovely objects producing masses of bloom all through 
the summer. Of course, this applies to the strong-grow'ing varieties. Great care should be taken not to 
plant too deeply. The roots of standards should be about five inches below' the surface. The roots of 
dwarf roses should be planted so that the union of the bud with the stock is one inch below' the surface. Care 
should be exercised to spread the loots over as large an area as possible, and not allow' them to cross 
each other. Do not put manure on the bare roots, but shake some fine mould over them, fill in, 
TREAD FIRMLY, and lay some long litter on the suiface round the plant as a protection from frost. 
MA NURING. —Roses are gross feeders, and require a quantity of manure. That from a bullock yard is 
the best, but when this is not procurable, either pig or stable manure is a good substitute. It is best to apply 
a surface dressing in the autumn for protection against frost. Liquid manures should not be applied to newly- 
planted loses. 
PRUNING should be done during March. Pruning w ith the object of growing exhibition roses, and 
pruning for the purpose of growing roses for garden and house decoration are two distinct operations. For 
growing exhibition blooms the plants must as a rule be cut hard back, leaving at most six “eyes ” on each 
shoot. The weaker and shorter growing varieties must be pruned sparingly if the plants are expected lb 
attain to any size. In all cases it is necessary to cut away dead, weak, and unripe wood, leaving only tlie strong 
and well matured, which should always be shortened. To produce well-formed plants, care should be taken 
to leave the top eye pointing outwards, giving the plant room to expand. Plants grown for garden and house 
decoration require to be sparingly pruned, merely the centre of the plants thinned out and the shoots reduced by 
about half their length. 
WATERING. — Should the spring and summer prove very dry, syringing overhead and watering is most 
necessary, and all fresh-planted roses will require to be well satined once a week, and syringed overhead daily 
with water which has been exposed to the action of the air. If larger flowers are required water established 
plants with diluted liquid manure. Plants on walls must be watered twice weekly. 
MILDEW is sometimes very troublesome in rapid variations from heat to cold. Powdered sulphur should 
be dusted on the foliage affected in early morning or late evening, when the foliage is w et with dew. 
INSECTS are troublesome to the rose grower, and great care and precaution is necessary to prevent their 
ravages. In spring, as soon as the plants begin to grow, should the young leaves curl and stick together, these 
must be unfolded, where will be found a small maggot which feeds on the young leaves, and w'ould, if not 
destroyed, eventually cat the bud and spoil the flower. After this the green fly will appear, and for the 
destruction of this pest we sell a concentrated mixture which is certain death to aphis and does not injure the 
foliage. Price 5/- per ^ gallon (which w ill make 20 to 24 gallons). (£ Pint to 5 gallons). 
STOCKS FOR ROSES.— For Standards and Half-Standards we use the Dog Briar; for Dwarf 
II. P.’s the Briar Cutting, Seedling Briar, and the Manetti Slocks ; for Dwarf Teas and Noisettes the Briar 
Cutting and Seedling Briar Stocks; when 1 he selection is left to us, we send Roses Budded on the Stock on 
which we have found from long experience and careful observation they best succeed. 
Hundreds of Testimonials have reached us from all parts of the World. 
