February, 1919 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
67 
(Control of insect pests; and 
diseases) For the destruction of 
Aphis, or green and black fly as 
it is usually termed; nicotine solu- 
tions will be found the most ef- 
fective. There are many different 
brands on the market, the price 
differing according to the per- 
centage of nicotine they contain. 
They are put up in cans of vary- 
ing size, with full instructions for 
mixing. 
For the rose slug, which is 
really the larva of a small moth, 
and is readily detected by the 
skeletonized appearance of the 
leaves; constant spraying with 
arsenate of lead has been found 
very effective. Some people ob- 
ject to the white deposit this 
leaves upon the foliage, and have 
found hellebore powder dis- 
solved in boiling water, at the 
rate of a tablespoonful to 5 gal- 
lons an equally good remedy. 
Lime sulphur solution will be 
found best to combat the leaf spot, 
and dry powdered sulphur dusted 
on, the best remedy for mildew. 
(General cultivation) The 
beds should be dug over in the 
spring, after pruning has been 
done ; giving them a good dressing 
of bonemeal. Keep them thorough- 
ly cultivated, for the double pur- 
pose of preventing growth of 
weeds, and conserving soil moist- 
ure. After they have been mulched 
cultivation will not be quite so 
neceessary for a time, but weeds 
must be pulled out, for these be- 
get insect troubles. 
Disbudding must be attended 
to, removing the side buds, and al- 
lowing the central one to remain. 
A variety such as Grass an Tep- 
litz, is in my opinion better left 
undisbudded. 
(Winter treatment) Owing to 
the rigorous winters we experi- 
ence here, great care must be 
taken in the covering of all roses. 
Soil heaped up around the base of 
each plant, and left till hard 
frosts set in after which it should 
be covered with leaves, hay, or 
any dry litter, is the most satis- 
factory method; but is not always 
practicable. 
Another way is to bend the tops 
of the plants over and securely 
peg them to the ground, waiting 
as previously advised for the 
ground to freeze, when they 
should be covered with at least a 
foot of dry leaves; marsh hay be- 
ing placed on top to prevent them 
from being blown away. This 
covering may be removed in 
March. It is better not to remove 
all at once as hot suns and cold 
winds are apt to damage the wood 
so long covered. 
I feel that this paper would be 
incomplete if I did not make men- 
tion of the climbing, or rambler 
roses. The treatment of these is 
necessarily different. After 
blooming, the old wood should be 
cut entirely away, and a good 
dressing of cow manure applied 
to the roots, which will cause the 
production of strong, vigorous 
shoots, which sometimes will at- 
tain the length of 12 feet, by the 
end of the season. During their 
growing season they must be kept 
constantly tied, and if these new 
shoots are produced too pro- 
fusely they must be thinned out, 
for it is the well ripened wood 
that will produce the best results. 
In the winter they must be taken 
down from their supports, and 
well covered as previously ad- 
vised for other varieties. 
Some people will say, “Oh, I 
like roses well enough, but I have 
no time to attend to them!” To 
these I would recommend a few of 
the Rosa Rugosa hybrid, Con- 
rad F. Meyer. It is perfectly 
hardy, requires little pruning un- 
less it be to remove dead wood, 
and seems quite at home in any 
soil or situation. 
Varieties. 
Hybrid perpetuals — Frau Karl 
Druschki, J. B. Clark, Ulrich 
Brunner and Mrs. R. G. Sharman 
Crawford. 
Hybrid teas — Maman Cochet, 
Grass an Teplitz, Lady Ashtown 
and Ecarlate. 
Climbing or rambler types — 
Crimson Rambler, Dorothy Per- 
kins, American Pillar and Tau- 
sendschon. 
Delphiniums are among the best 
perennials for the garden. Get 
good strains and give them good 
care, and an abundance of flowers 
will be had in season. 
It is a poor farm indeed that 
can not afford a good strawberry 
bed and a raspberry patch. Now 
is a good time to select and order 
varieties for next year’s planting. 
The red twig dogwood and 
golden willow begin to show their 
color on bright warm days now. 
In contrast with the snow they 
add a warmth and cheeriness that 
makes them worth while. 
There is no advantage in trying 
to grow water plants on any land 
or prairie plants in the tim- 
ber. Consult the habits of the 
plant before you set it. 
Poultry droppings collected and 
kept dry until next year will fur- 
nish a good supply of nitrogen for 
garden crops. If allowed to get 
wet, they lose much of their value. 
