Jamunr/ so, 1.301. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GALDENER. 
83 
able only for the uncertainties of harvest and of life, and the 
recoups -were sought by poaching the “ reserves.” 
On April 1st, 1887, our adventurer set out for Philadelphia, and 
■obtained work with a florist at once at 20 cents per hour the first 
month, and for the remainder of the season (to October inclusive) 
at 35 dols. per month with board. The “ western craze ” at that 
•time rose to fever heat with those that had saved a few dollars, and 
our friend fell a prey to the epidemic ; but as winter was no time 
•for explorations, the setting out was deferred until spring, and as 
•dollars will not keep any more than crowns in England without 
wearing the pockets out, a trip was decided on to the “ falls ”— 
Niagara of course—and the “ lakes.” "Work of that kind soon 
•ended the dollars, which made no difference only in the exchange 
of spending to earning, as work came in the shape of chopping 
wood— i.e., felling Pine timber or lumber—eleven miles from 
Toronto, Canada, at 19 dols. per month and board, there being 
nineteen men, “ I being the worst man and the worst paid, through 
■only being capable of trimming,” the “ choppers ” getting 32 dols. 
■per month and board. This lasted eleven weeks, snow a yard 
■deep, messing in a log house. Ice cutting on the lake Ontario 
afforded employment for a fortnight at 1 i dol. per day without board. 
Tee 2 feet thick, clear as crystal, was stored in ice-houses double 
boarded— i.e., with a space between the boarding, the ice put in in 
blocks, all cracks or interstices filled with sawdust, covering with a 
■good thickness of sawdust, and over all with straw. 
Gardening prospects being very uninviting in any part of the 
Oanadian Dominion a move was made to Buffalo, then on to Cleve¬ 
land, Ohio, without prospect of work of any kind ; hence a start 
was male to Chicago, meeting with the “cold shoulder,” as the 
■German gardeners were preferred. Experience, however, always 
tells, thus a job was obtained on a grain-laden steamer bound 
from Chicago to Milwaukee as deck hand— i.e., load and unload at 
8 do’s, per return trip. Spring had now returned, therefore he set 
■out for St. Louis, Missouri, getting work in a vineyard, disbudding 
•ani tying Vine shoots at 1^ dol. per day without board, refusing 
a strongly urged permanent engagement, as the “ western craze ” 
had not been cooled by the cold of the Canadas, or if it had the 
fever broke out strong again, so a journey was made from 
St. Louis to Kansas. No work there for gardeners ; in fact, 
“the German element again predominated ; therefore the course 
■was pursued due west into the wilds, with nothing but cattle 
ranches, very few settlements, and homesteads twenty to thirty 
miles or more apart. There the “ almighty dollar” lost its poten¬ 
tial attributes. Cowboys are described as “ gentlemen at home,” 
and yet will take “ your last dollar for a reveleven the Indians 
in the Reserve were “ careful to entertain strangers.” Enough !— 
gardeners have no business west, and the “ fever ” having abated 
a start was made to Memphis, Tennessee, where work was had at 
■cutting Wheat-heads only, the straw being not more than a foot 
high ; the pay, 2 dols. a day with board. From this point (Mem¬ 
phis) worked up the river (Mississippi) as far as Dakota, harvesting 
all the way, getting 2j dols. per day with board. The work 
being finished in Dakota, and having some cash (though but 
paper) a trip was resolved on—not north, as the rigours of the 
Canadian winter yet obtained in the recollection. South ; there¬ 
fore made New Orleans, Louisiana, by river—a long trip, the inci- 
•dents of which need not burden our theme.—UxiLiTARi.ax. 
(To be continued.) 
FLOWER CULTURE FOR PROFIT. 
Tea Roses Planted Out. 
Although Tea Roses succeed well in pots when on their own 
Toots, they are more profitable when planted out under glass, this 
whether trained thinly over the roof or grown as large bushes. In 
■the latter case a span-roofed house may well be given up to them, 
the Roses being either put out in raised borders or on a level with 
the single pathway through the centre. In addition to the bushes 
grown in the body of the house a few might also be trained thinly 
up the roof, or say one at every principal rafter, or at 4 feet dis¬ 
tances, about three leading growths being laid in each instance 
without unduly shading the other occupants of the house. If 
blooms are wanted as much as possible throughout the winter these 
may be obtained without very hard forcing and without detriment 
to any plants of Marechal Niel there may be trained up the roof, 
and as this is undoubtedly the most popular of all Roses it is 
advisable to give the greater portion of the rafters up to it. 
Neither a very deep nor an excessively rich border is needed by 
Roses, and we find a depth of 30 inches, including about G inches 
■of rough drainage, ample. Nothing suits them so well as a compost 
consisting of three parts of light turfy loam roughly chopped up 
to one of good leaf soil, a moderate amount of grit, a liberal 
sprinkling of charred garden rubbish greatly improving the mixture. 
If there is no fibre in the loam then ought a rather smaller pro¬ 
portion of this be used and a part of old Mushroom bed refuse 
added. In this the Roses ought to be planted firmly, and if dis¬ 
posed about 3 feet apart each way will occupy all the space without 
becoming unduly thick. 
In many instances only the roofs of greenhouses can be given 
up to Roses, and in this case if they are thinly trained. Azaleas, 
Camellias, Olivias, Ferns and a few other plants will thrive very 
well underneath. Not unfrequently narrow borders, raised or 
otherwise, might be formed underneath the staging along the front 
of the house, but if it is more convenient the Roses will succeed 
nearly or quite as well planted outside and brought through the 
front walls or just below the sills. Ours outside are 2 feet wide, the 
same in depth, being raised about 1 foot above the level and 
enclosed by a 4j-inch brick wall with a cemented top course. We 
have roof-trained Roses both on their own roots and worked on 
healthy Briar stems, and in this case the latter answer equally as 
well as own-root plants. We find Marechal Niel just as liable 
to canker and fail on their own roots as on the Briar, but would 
not plant any worked on the Manetti stock if they were given to 
us, these being most liable to canker, but to this I must again 
briefly refer. In addition to Marechal Niel there are a few other 
varieties of Tea or Noisette Roses admirably adapted for root cul¬ 
ture, notably Safrano, Lamarque, Homer, Reine Marie Henriette, 
W. A. Richardson and Cheshunt Hybrid, the two first named being 
my favourites. Each ought to be capable of covering a roof 
area 12 feet by 10 feet, the Marechal Niel covering double 
that space in a comparatively short period. Moderately strong 
wires 10 inches apart taken across the roof through eyes screwed 
into the rafters, and not less than 9 inches from the glass, 
another 3 inches not being too much for Safrano, is all the 
trellising needed for the spreading plants, while for rafter Roses 
about three wires, 6 inches apart, may be very simply strained up 
the roof. 
Much pruning and training are not required by Tea Roses, 
though they ought not to have matters too much their own way, 
or they may quickly wear out. At the outset they should be 
staked uprightly, and only lightly shortened back, and being in 
good health may be permitted to develop a few blooms, but will 
be profitable or not according to t’ne quality and quantity of strong 
suckers that push up from the base. These will branch and flower 
grandly, thus stopping themselves, and subsequent pruning con¬ 
sists merely of cutting all blooms as they form, the shortening 
back of straggling branches and removal of all spray in October. 
There being good room some of the stronger branches ought to be 
staked out, the slight depression given to these causing them to 
push up stray shoots certain to produce extra fine blooms. Occa¬ 
sionally an apparently worn out plant will be renovated by being 
freely cut back, and partially thinning out the main branches every 
autumn will serve to keep others in robust growth. The roof 
plants, with the exception of Marechal Niel, and in a lesser degree 
Lamarque, may be treated very similarly to the bushes, the roof 
being gradually covered with the best of the shoots formed, these 
inevitably flowering abundantly as they advance. In time the loof 
becomes covered with branches, and each autumn, or after a com¬ 
parative resting period, these should be freely thinned out and 
shortened back to about half their length, the more weakly spray 
being cut cleanly out. Lamarque is of very vigorous habit, form¬ 
ing long shoots during the summer, and which at pruning time 
should be only lightly shortened, grand blooms being pushed out 
from nearly every joint on all well-matured growths. Marechal 
Niel will be referred to in my next communication, and the prices 
that have been obtained for Roses stated.—M. H. 
PLANT FOOD. 
One of the signs of the times, speaking horticulturally, is the 
extent to which chemical manures are now employed in gardens. 
I suppose there are few gardens in which they are not in use to the 
benefit of crops. Now, though it has not been my practice to pur¬ 
chase made manures for many years, still I have often had oppor¬ 
tunities of testing these, and it is only fair to say that, though 
many of them are expensive, still taking into account the small 
quantities required in gardens, and the good results which in¬ 
variably follow their use, they cannot be said to be dear. One of 
the largest manure manufacturers told me the other day that their 
experience with gardeners, among whom they are trying to establish 
a general manure, was that they had an objection to cheapness. I 
do not know about that, but there is such a thing as being penny 
wise and pound foolish, and if a gardener thinks he can procure a 
better manure by paying a few shillings more each year there is 
1 nothing blameworthy in that. 
