98 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
March, 1918 
Roses for Cut Flowers. 
Rose lovers who heretofore have 
confined their attention to gener- 
al-purpose roses, cutting their 
house flowers from plants used for 
lawn or border ornamentation, 01 
for covers for arbors, should find 
it desirable to plant a special rose 
garden for cut flowers. This is 
practically the only plan that will 
result in the production of blos- 
soms of highest quality. The hy- 
brid perpetuals are the hardiest 
of the cut-flower roses and are the 
only ones to be relied upon in the 
colder parts of the country and in 
the rural districts of the dry-land 
region. They usually bloom only 
in the early summer, but some- 
times bloom a second time if 
thoroughly pruned, especially if 
given a midsummer check by dry 
weather. 
Choice of Stock 
Roses adapted to culture for cut 
flowers, the gardener will find, 
show most plainly the results of 
the long period through which 
roses have been selected and bred. 
Greater specialization in methods 
of treatment also will be found 
here than among other types of 
flowers. Plants may be had from 
nurseries in “own root” “bud- 
ded,” or “grafted” form. 
The advantage of grafted and 
budded roses is that they are more 
vigorous the first few years, but 
they have to be watched closely 
to prevent shoots starting from 
the stock, as such shoots take the 
sap and thus starve the scion. 
The expert who constantly can 
watch his plants may be success- 
ful with grafted and budded roses, 
but the average grower would do 
best to use own-rooted plants, 
even though they do not grow so 
fast. The few varieties that suc- 
ceed only when grafted should not 
be tried until the grower has be- 
come expert in handling roses. 
Climbing roses are grafted less of- 
ten than hybrid perpetuals, hy- 
brid teas, and teas. The size or 
age of the plant to use is largely a 
matter of choice. They are of- 
fered in various sizes, from 1 to 3 
years. The plants from cuttings 
are smaller than the other plants 
of the same age and variety. 
Three-year-old plants give the 
quickest results. Two-year-old 
plants can be transplanted more 
successfully than older ones and 
are rather more satisfactory. One 
year old plants have to be grown 
for a year before any real results 
are obtained in the way of bloom. 
The first year the flower buds 
should be picked from this small 
size as soon as formed, to let all 
the strength go into growth. 
Soil, Drainage and Fertilizer 
Cut-flower roses thrive in a well 
drained soil that is not too dry 
and is well supplied with organic 
matter. The hybrid perpetuals 
succeed best in clay loam or in a 
soil with a clay subsoil. They do 
not succeed so well in gravel soils. 
A well-enriched soil and one rea- 
sonably constant in its ability to 
supply the plant with moisture is 
the chief requirement. On the 
other hand, it must be well 
drained, as roses will not grow 
when water stands about their 
roots. 
In heavy clay soils or wherever 
water is liable to stand, it is de- 
sirable to provide artificial drain- 
age. This is best done by exca- 
vating to a depth of 3 feet, plac- 
ing a 12-inch layer of stones in the 
bottom, covering these with the 
inverted sods, and then refilling 
the bed with well-prepared soil. 
This layer of drainage should be 
connected with some proper out- 
let for carrying off the water. A 
drain of a similar layer of stones 
1 foot or more wide, or a tile, 
should lead to some main drain, a 
sewer, or to an opening on lower 
land, so that surplus water will be 
carried away immediately. In 
well-drained soils such special pre- 
caution is not necessary. Some- 
times the layer of stones without 
the outlet drain will be sufficient. 
The recommendations already 
made about manures and fertil- 
izers are equally applicable to cut- 
flower roses. The use of rotted 
cow manure or well-prepared com- 
post is even more important for 
cut-flower roses than for border 
roses. 
The Care of Lawns. 
Home owners who wish to get 
the best results from their lawns 
should begin to work on them the 
last of February or early in 
March, according to the lawn spe- 
cialists of the United States De- 
partment of Agriculture. Too 
many people delay giving any at- 
tention to their grass plots until 
the weather becomes warm and 
thus lose an opportunity to take 
advantage of melting snow and 
the alternate night freezing and 
thawing of the ground. 
If the lawn has not already 
been fertilized, some form of com- 
mercial fertilizer should be used at 
once. Manure applied this late 
will not be effective in most cases. 
Ground bone is probably the best 
fertilizer to use, although tankage 
and fish scraps, some of which, 
however, have an unpleasant 
smell, also give good results. Pre- 
pared sheep manure is an excel- 
lent fertilizer for use at this sea- 
