THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
:iD 
in a six-inch pot from three to five bulbs will give a 
much better effect. 
In some localities these Anomathecas are not quite 
hardy, but in the warmer parts of the United King- 
dom no doubt exists as to their hardiness. In cooler 
districts, however, it is advisable to lift the bulbs in 
autumn and store them away beyond the reach of 
frost. Dry sand is capital material for storing them 
in. When grown in pots it is usual to shake them out 
in late autumn and to re-pot in the soil advocated, 
keeping the compost dry and the pots out of reach of 
frost until Spring, when water may be gradually 
given. 
Those who are unacquainted with the beauty of 
these brilliant flowers will find it worth their while to 
purchase a few bulbs for the adornment of their gar- 
dens in the coming summer. — The Gardeners' Maga- 
zine (English). 
FIELD-GROWN ROSES FOR CUT-FLOWER. 
IN deciding the time to plant cut-flower roses, the 
gardener must take into consideration the kind of 
plant, the location, and to a certain extent, the sea- 
son. The roses may be obtained either as dormant or 
potted plants. It is best to use the former and plant in 
the fall in those sections where the temperature does 
not fall below 10 degrees F., where the winter winds 
are not exceptionally drying, and where the soil has 
been so prepared that it does not heave badly. In 
other places spring planting with potted plants is 
best. If budded or grafted roses are used they must 
be planted deeper than own-rooted roses would be, 
because of the liability of shoots starting from the 
stock below the scion. The point of union between the 
stock and scion should be planted three inches under 
the ground. By planting in this way the scion will 
have an opportunity to form roots from the part of the 
stem in the ground and thus become at least partially 
own rooted. Planting the stock so deeply discourages 
the formation of new shoots from it. If any appear 
they must be removed at once. 
Potted plants, as opposed to the dormant sort, should 
be set out only in the spring not over two weeks be- 
fore the oaks come into leaf. 
Tea roses should be planted from 18 to 30 inches 
apart, depending on the vigor of growth and proposed 
treatment. 
The hybrid tea roses have a greater range of charac- 
ter of growth even than the other kinds discussed, and 
the proper distance for planting corresponds. The 
planting distance is from 20 inches to 3 feet, being 
greatest in the warmer regions where they get an 
abundance of water and least where they are retarded 
in growth by cold winters or dr_v summers. 
One of the special requirements of cut flower roses 
is cultivation. They should, therefore, have the ground 
in which they are planted entirely to themselves to fa- 
cilitate frequent stirring of the surface. Cultivation 
should begin early and continue until within six weeks 
of the dormant season. The first spring cultivation 
should be deep enough to work into the soil the winter 
mulch of manure or a good special application of ma- 
nure if there is no mulch. The latter cultivations 
should be just deep enough to maintain a surface dust 
mulch. 
The quality of the blossoms as cut-flower roses can 
be controlled largely by pruning. For the production 
of individual blossoms of greatest perfection, as well 
as to secure a succession of bloom, severe pruning must 
be practiced. When a large number of blooms of 
small size is the aim, the pruning is less severe. Where 
the greatest amount of bloom is desired, without re- 
gard to the size or quality of the individual flowers, the 
least pruning is done. 
If dormant roses have been set out in the fall, one- 
half the wood will have been removed. In the spring 
these roses should be cut back more, leaving only two 
or three stems with four or five eyes on each. This 
will leave them six inches or less in height. When 
dormant roses are planted in the spring they should 
be pruned at the time of planting, leaving four or five 
eyes on a stem as above recommended. In regions 
where there is no danger of injury from frost or dry 
winds the final pruning, as described for spring, may 
be made in the fall. After the first year, pruning 
should be done as soon as freezing weather is over. 
In regions where roses never suffer from cold it may 
be done in the fall. All weak wood and crossing 
branches should be remo\-ed every year. For fine 
specimen blooms on hybrid perpetuals the remaining 
shoots should be shortened to four or five eyes. For 
the greatest mass of bloom only one-third to one-half 
the length of the shoots should be cut away. 
It is sometimes desirable to subject cut-flower roses 
to somewhat rigorous treatment in summer to force a 
rest. This is usually found necessary only where the 
plants are grown under irrigation a part of the vear 
and have but a short winter check. Under such condi- 
tions it will be advisable to dry the plants out for a 
month or six weeks. 
When plant growth is not satisfactory and some 
plants do not seem to take hold as well as others, the 
application of a diluted liquid manure often stimulates 
and starts a plant to growing well. — Southern Florist. 
NATIONAL ROSE AND PEONY GARDENS. 
P LOWER lovers are being asked by the Office of 
Horticultural Investigations of the U. S. Depart- 
ment of Agriculture to contribute to the test gardens 
at x-\rlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac from 
Washington, roses and peonies of varieties not now 
represented in the Government collections. It is the 
hope of the Department to assemble at the Arlington 
gardens as nearh' complete collections of varieties of 
the two flowers as possible. These collections will be 
used for comparison and study of conditions under 
which they thrive best, and also as a basis for plant 
breeding work. At the present time, approximately 
700 varieties of roses and 400 varieties of peonies are 
growing in the Arlington gardens. These represent 
about one-half the varieties of each of the flowers be- 
lieved to exist in the United States. 
The Department of Agriculture is creating the test 
gardens in co-o]3eration with the American Rose So- 
ciety and the American Peony Society. The rose 
garden was begun in 1915. The peony collection was 
started last fall. The majority of the plants have been 
contributed by nurserymen and florists, though many 
have been given by amateurs. Express or postal 
charges are paid by the contributors. Plants should 
be sent during the dormant season, which lasts from 
fall to late April. Potted plants may be sent success- 
fully as late as the last of May. 
Persons who believe the}- have varieties of roses 
or peonies not represented in the Arlington gardens 
and who wish to contribute to the collections, should 
first write to the office of Horticultural Investigations, 
Washington, D. C, offering specific varieties or re- 
questing a list of the varieties desired. 
