GENERAL CATALOGUE OF PLANTS. 
3 
Tbe Cultivation of Roses. 
N submitting our revised list of Roses to our customers, we feel justified in saying that 
our plants this season are the largest and finest we have ever offered. The nattering 
letters received from many of our patrons as to the satisfactory results obtained from 
our stock have made us feel that our efforts to send out good and reliable plants are 
appreciated. We make the Rose our great specialty, and in the past season we have 
taken special pride in this the queen of flowers. We are now supplying thousands of 
our flower-loving friends with Roses, which may be used in many ways to great 
advantage. A more beautiful object can hardly be imagined than a hedge of Roses 
in full bloom. Avenues of Roses may be formed by a hedge on each side of a walk, 
and nothing could be more charming, especially where the plants can be kept always 
growing and blooming, as in the South. One of the most satisfactory methods of plant- 
ing Roses, and the one most practical, is in beds or masses. A bed of one hundred 
Roses in bloom will form a sheet of dazzling brilliancy that can hardly bo surpassed. For this purpose the 
freest-blooming varieties of Hybrid Perpetuals and the Everblooming class should be selected. When these 
are mixed in the same bed, the Hybrid Perpetuals should be planted in the center, surrounded by Bourbons 
aud Teas, and the whole edged with Chinese or low-growing Teas. 
Preparation of the Ground. Roses will grow in any fertile ground, but are much improved in bloom, 
fragrance aud beauty by rich soil, liberal manuring, and good cultivation. The ground should be subsoiled 
and well spaded to the depth of a foot or more, and enriched by digging in a good coat of cow manure or any 
fertilizing material that may be convenient. Renew old beds with decayed sods taken from old pasture land. 
Planting. When the ground is thoroughly prepared, set the plants slightly deeper than they were 
before, spread the roots out evenly in their natural position, and cover them with fine earth, taking care to 
draw it closely around the stem, and pack it down firmly with the hand, as it is very important that the 
earth be tightly firmed down on the roots. Always choose the most favorable time for planting in your own 
locality. Roses can be planted as soon as convenient after frost is over. They can be sent with entire 
safety, regardless of the season. Always select an open, sunny place, exposed to full light and air. 
Watering. If the ground is dry when the Roses are planted, water thoroughly after planting, so as to 
soak the earth down below the roots, and, if hot or windy, it may be well to shade them for a few days. 
After this not much water is required, unless the weather is unusually dry. Plants will not thrive if kept 
too wet without the most perfect drainago. 
Pruning. In most seasons it is best to prune established plants of hardy Roses in March. Tender 
varieties (such as the Tea Roses) and newly planted Roses may be left until a month later. As a general rule 
close pruning produces quality, and long pruning quantity of bloom. Climbing Roses should not be cut back; 
the tips of the shoots only should be taken off, and any weak or unripe shoots cut out altogether. 
Pall Treatment. In the fall Rose beds should have a good dressing of stable manure, or any fertilizing 
material that is convenient. Winter rains will carry the strength down to the roots, and the remaining 
matter makes a nice mulch, which, in many places, is all the protection that is necessary. In very cold locali- 
ties it is a good plan to cover the beds all over from 3 to 6 inches deep with old sods, fresh earth, or coal ashes. 
Where the winters are not very severe, tender Roses may be covered with clean rye straw, forest leaves, or 
evergreen branches, but care must be taken not to make the covering too thick ; it should permitconsiderable 
circulation of air, and should not retain water, and nothing should be used that will ferment, heat or rot. 
The object of covering is not to keep the plants warm, but to break the force of sudden and violent weather 
changes, particularly in March, when the plants should be protected from the sun rather than cold, the sud- 
den thawing of the frozen wood being the cause of injury. 
Winter Treatment. Whatever covering is used, it should not be put on till late in the season, when the 
plants are well matured and severe weather is close at hand; moderate freezing is not injurious. It should be 
understood that a certain degree of growth and development is necessary to enable even hardy Roses and 
plants to bear Northern winters. If newly planted just before cold weather, they can not bear the winter. 
They must be planted early enough in the season to make considerable growth and get well established before 
cold weather begins, otherwise they will most likely be winter-killed, in spite of any protection that can be 
given. In places where the winters are not very severe, many varieties of Everblooming Roses are nearly 
hardy, and we think the best way to treat them is to leave all in the open ground, and give whatever covering 
may be convenient. 
When to Uncover the Plants. Do not uncover in the spring until frost has left the ground and there 
is a prospect of reasonably settled weather. When uncovered, the plants should bo carefully pruned, and 
the beds dug and raked. 
OUR ROSE5 ARE STRONG PLANTS ON OWN ROOTS. 
(The Sizes we Offer.) 
Although we make a specialty of the Rose, still we waste no space on worthless sorts, but from the end- 
less list of varieties grown, have selected only such as we have tested thoroughly, and found to possess 
special merit in color and vigor of growth. We offer our Roses so cheap that many who receive our Cata- 
logue for the first time write to ask us if our Roses are well-rooted, as they do not see how we can sell good 
Roses so cheap. For the benefit of new customers, we wish to state that our Roses are strong plants, grown 
in 3 y, and 3-inch pots, and are 8 to 15 inches high (the size that most florists catalogue as “ Large size, price, 
25 cents each ”). Our Roses are not forced, but they have been grown strong and vigorous, and will begin 
growth and bloom almost as soon as planted, as hundreds of letters from our customers testify. We ask 
a trial of our Roses, and if they do not grow and thrive as we say they will, we will cheerfully refund the 
purchase price. We grow all our Roses from cuttings, and they are, therefore, on their own roots, so 
that when killed down the new shoots which sprout up are genuine. 
Fine assorted Tom Thumb Nasturtiums and Aster plants, 35 cents per dozen. 
