^ FOURTH NATIONAL FLOWER SHOW 157 
Dean Hole, in the most delightful and scholarly book on the Rose e\'er 
written, declares that, "To have beautiful Roses in one's garden, one must have 
beautiful Roses in one's heart." Whether or not this is really essential, I am 
not prepared to admit — parenthetically, I must observe that I have seen most 
beautiful Roses growing in the gardens of none-too-pleasant people, — but it is 
at least a beautiful thought to start with. Keep in mind that the flower of our 
affection delights, and does its best, in a somewhat cool, rather moist — not 
heavy rains — atmosphere. Consequently, do not expect as fine Roses during 
the middle of summer as you get in the early summer and in the autumn, 
except, perhaps, during a spell of damp, dark weather. 
While good Roses can be successfully grown in any well-enriched garden 
soil, they will succeed best in a rather heavy, clayish loam, to which add an 
equal combined quantity of stable manure and finely chopped old sods. Thus: 
in making a bed two feet deep, you will have one foot of soil and six inches each 
of sods and manure, preferably cow and horse manure combined. A good 
sprinkling of ground bone, or bone-meal, and air-slaked lime will be helpful, 
but is not necessary. Mix all together very thoroughly from top to bottom — • 
but do not use a sieve. The broken sods will tend to keep the soil open and 
porous. Make bed from fifteen inches to three feet deep, according to your 
purse and the material available. 
Place your Rose bed in the open, or where it will get at least a half day's 
sun, and have it well away from over-hanging trees and shrubbery. 
WHEN TO PLANT 
Differing from the practice in Europe in this respect, most of the Rose 
planting in this country is done in the spring, although under certain conditions 
fall planting has its advantages. I shall assume that you are going to plant 
dormant, field-grown stock, which is almost exclusively used in Europe, and 
which ten years of amateur growing convinced me is unquestionably the best. 
Do not wait until planting time to order, but get your grower's catalog as soon 
as it is issued, if possible, and send in your order for immediate booking. You 
will thus get better plants and get them at the right time to plant, which is 
just as soon as the ground is lit to work, or as soon as the farmer plants early 
potatoes in your vicinity. The Roses will come to you packed in moss, and 
care should be exercised to see that the roots do not get dry. As soon as planting 
is accomplished, the ground should be firmed over the roots with foot pressure, 
and the wood pruned back at least half. A moderate pruning usually yields 
a greater number of blooms, at the expense, however, of size. A close pruning 
yields fewer but larger flowers, and on longer stems. 
When planting is done early, and while the ground is moist, no watering 
will be necessary until plants are started well into growth, or the ground be- 
