in Rose Culture 
f the American Rose Society 
<ciety, Harrisburg, Pa. (IQ28 American Rose Annual) 
ly in dry soil over winter, and planted out in 
spring. Dealers’ stocks are complete in autumn, 
and you are fairly sure to get what you order; 
the plants are usually bigger and more alive; 
most important, you have them at hand for 
earliest spring planting. 
In the South, late November, December and 
January are the best planting months. 
Planting 
Spring planting in the North should be got 
under way as soon as the soil can be worked— 
the earlier the better. 
Roses ought not be planted in little holes in 
the lawn. Give them a row to themselves in 
the flower or vegetable garden; or make a solid 
bed for them alone. 
Remember that rose bushes are alive; treat 
them as you would any living thing. Keep the 
roots of the bushes covered while they are out 
of the ground. Do not expose them to the sun 
and wind any more than you would a pet gold¬ 
fish. 
Make generous holes for the plants, broad and 
rather shallow. Set the plant so that the bud* * 
is even with the surface of the bed, or just un¬ 
der it. Spread the roots almost horizontally, 
and work fine rich soil among them, tamping it 
down firmly. Separate the various strands and 
layers of roots so that they are not doubled, 
cramped, or crowded. Make the soil very firm. 
If the weather is dry, water heavily, and hill 
the plants with earth until the buds start to 
break. 
Plant just the same in autumn, except that 
the roses must be heavily protected then for the 
winter. 
Cut back the tops of spring-planted roses to 6 
inches or less. Do not cut back roses planted in 
autumn until the following spring, after danger 
of severe freezing is past. 
Plant Hybrid Tea roses 12 to 18 inches apart, 
depending upon their size. Hybrid Perpetuals 
need 2 to 3 feet. Hardy Climbers should be 5 
to 6 feet apart, either on a trellis or when grown 
as pillars. 
In the South. Teas may require much more 
space. 
Cultivation 
Keep the surface of the rose bed loose all the 
time, unless it is protected by a mulch, but no 
mulch should be applied until summer is well 
advanced. 
Work the surface of the rose beds every week 
and after heavy rains. Loose soil is the best of 
all mulches. 
Early in the season give established roses a 
*This is the knot or irregularity where the rose is 
joined to the wild root. 
trowelful or two of fertilizer, stirred into the 
soil. Equal parts of wood-ashes, bone-meal, and 
dried sheep-manure are good for this purpose. 
Feed the roses liberally with liquid manure,* 
one-half gallon to a plant, when the flower- 
buds show color; and repeat it every two weeks 
until within a month of the first autumn frost. 
Pruning 
In the North, winter does most of the pruning. 
In the early spring, cut away dead wood and all 
weak, old wood. Shorten what is left to moder¬ 
ate length—6 to 12 inches for Hybrid Teas and 
18 inches to 3 feet for Hybrid Perpetuals. 
If especially fine flowers—but fewer of them 
—are wanted, prune harder. 
In the South, do not prune so severely. Let 
the bushes develop. 
Climbers require special treatment. Remove 
old wornout canes immediately after the flower¬ 
ing season, and try to keep the plants within 
bounds by cutting out whole canes. Do not 
“snip”. 
Climbing Hybrid Teas and Teas should not 
be cut at all if it can be helped. Save the old 
wood as long as possible; blooming shoots start 
from it. 
Fighting Pests 
Aphis or plant-lice, which gather on the tips 
of the shoots and buds, can be killed by spray¬ 
ing three days in succession with Black-Leaf 40 
as directed on the package. This may be al¬ 
most a contiftual job at certain seasons. 
Dust the plants every week with the Massey 
dust,t and make a routine of it. Start it as soon 
as the leaves come out and keep it up until it 
freezes or snows. This treatment will check 
black-spot and mildew. 
Cut away stems which show canker sports. 
If the leaves get rusty, spray the undersides 
with Black-Leaf 40. The trouble is red spider. 
Rose-bugs are best controlled by hand-picking. 
Try spraying them with hot water, over 120 0 F., 
and tell us if it works. 
Establish your routine, but don’t be a slave 
to it. Use common sense in emergencies. If a 
heavy rain follows your spraying and dusting, 
spray or dust again. If your regular spraying 
day is Monday, and bugs appear on Sunday, 
spray on Sunday. 
Treating Sick Plants 
The best practice is to dig them up and burn 
them. If they are rare, or valued for special 
reasons, examine the canes for canker patches. 
If large cankers are found, cut off the canes 
and burn them. Small cankers may be controll¬ 
ed by coating them with Semesan or Uspulun.* 
Examine the crown of the plant just under 
the surface. If a large, yellowish spongy knot, 
*Make liquid manure by soaking a sack of fresh 
manure, or the commercial product, in water until it 
is the color of strong black tea, 
fMassey dust is made of nine parts dusting (not 
“flowers”) sulphur and one part powdered lead ar¬ 
senate. 
*Two commercial products available at seed- 
stores. 
rton A. Ellison, Dallas, Texas 
Ar 
