CLOVERSET DEPENDABLE ROSES 
7 
means of having not only ideal growing conditions but adds greatly to the 
appearance of the bed in the future. 
If the bed can be prepared, as given in the directions in this book, two or 
three weeks in advance of planting time and throughly soaked, to cause 
the soil and fertilizer to settle and break down into one composite mass and 
then is dug up again just before planting, the repeated handling of the soil 
will cause additional aeration and will also distribute the fertilizer more 
uniformly throughout the entire body of soil to the great advantage of the 
plant to be grown in it. 
Never plant anything in wet soil. Always wait till the soil is dry enough to 
crumble when worked in the hand. Wet soil will bake during the first hot 
day and is absolutely unsuitable for planting. Always wait till the soil is dry. 
Should your soil not be right for planting when you get your Roses, set 
them aside for a few days. Dormant Roses may be heeled in temporarily 
for a few days without injury. 
IMPORTANCE OF HUMUS 
No matter which of the various methods we select for increasing or main¬ 
taining the fertility of our soil, we find that humus plays a very important 
part. It performs many functions in the soil which are absolutely essential 
to healthy plant growth. It influences the action of the soil towards heat, 
light, penetration of roots in the soil and the ability of the soil to absorb and 
hold water. In fact, it directly controls, to a large extent, the four essentials 
to plant growth, water, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, and any soil 
in which these elements are in perfect balance, is perfect soil for plant 
growth. 
An analysis of soil, taken from the worn out farms of the eastern states, as 
compared to the fertile soil around Kansas City shows very little difference 
except in the amount of humus contained, which proves that with the ad¬ 
dition of humus, the eastern soil aforementioned, would produce crops com¬ 
parable to those of our own locality. 
Nothing you can add to the soil will supply so much humus and organic 
matter and nothing else will hold so much moisture and hold it as long as 
plenty of good, rotted cow manure. It adds not only a great deal of natural 
plant food, but in addition it has a beneficial action in the soil which dis¬ 
solves and makes available and useful, a lot of natural fertility that is out of 
condition to be absorbed by the plant. Absence of humus makes any soil 
dead and hard to work. 
