ROSES IN THE SOUTHWEST 
173 
bonemeal to each plant, in February, will insure its phosphorus for six 
months. A light layer of hardwood ashes will furnish a reasonable amount 
of potash. 
There are a few nice desserts that a Rose is fond of, such as a half cup 
of plain sulphur scratched into the soil occasionally, and a teaspoonful of 
iron sulphate once a month to give the buds "that school-girl complex¬ 
ion”—particularly relished by the yellows. 
It is safer for an amateur, not knowing the probable deficiencies of 
his soil, to employ a first-class, all-around plant food, used according to 
directions. A light application followed by a thorough watering once a 
month during the growing season, until the first of September in the 
Southwest, is not too often for established plants. Liquid fertilizer every 
two weeks is used by some growers. But stimulation after the last of 
August is unwise, since it will cause a late, tender growth, endangering the 
life of the plant if caught in an early freeze. 
WATERING 
The amount of watering that a Rose plant will need depends upon the 
incidental rainfall, how well the soil was prepared, how well and how 
often it is cultivated, and upon the nature of the soil, itself. The less it 
rains, the less well the soil was prepared and the less it is cultivated, the 
more watering will be required. As for the part the soil itself plays in the 
business, no sensible nurseryman would attempt to establish a Rose farm 
where he could not water his plants, such as in the "black-waxy land”, 
whose subterranean cracks, when it dries out, make one speculate on 
the possible distance to China. He chooses instead, a sandy soil with a 
clay base if possible, to conserve moisture. He plants in the open fields 
where, when it rains, the earth over a wide area will receive the full 
amount of the fall, undiminished by such limiting factors as paving, side¬ 
walks, stepping-stones, buildings and the like. There can be no possible 
parallel of comparison drawn between such a field and a city Rose 
garden. 
Certainly your Rose garden needs water and only you who know all 
the conditions can say how much. But when it needs it, give it water and 
plenty of it. Don’t withhold it, because of the theory of some person 
whose conditions are probably not the same any more than you would 
refuse a drink of water to some thirsty mortal on the same paltry grounds. 
WHAT PRICE A GOOD ROSE PLANT? 
Being some facts that every amateur gardener should know. 
An able nurseryman has said, "Most of the Rose troubles which develop 
in the amateur’s Rose bed originated in the nurseries that grew the 
bushes.” How true this statement is will become ever more apparent to 
an experienced grower. 
A naturally strong and healthy Rose is one that has been grown from 
good stock, under conditions as nearly ideal as possible, by an honest 
Phos¬ 
phorus 
Potash 
Sulphur 
Deficiencies 
Amount 
Required 
Origin of 
Most 
Trouble 
