HOWARD & SMITH 
1200 Beverly Blvd. 
Montebello, Calil. 
RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED 
U. S. Department of Agriculture, 
Washington, D. C. 
Bureau of Plant Industry 
Pruit and Vegetable Crops and Diseases 
K. P 
sro 8—3591 
This is your copy of WHAT AND WHEN TO PLANT, Howard <5. Smith's Rose Bulletin, Winter, 1939. 
The Planting and Care of Roses —Some Simple but Important Requisites for Success 
Rose culture is an easy matter, with scarcely a chance of failure if a few simple requirements are complied with. No subject responds more generously 
to good treatment. Obviously the first essential is to obtain good, strong, low-budded, field-grown plants of select varieties, since a wrong beginning in 
this respect can be corrected only by starting anew, with loss of time, labor, money and enjoyment. 
Care of plants upon arrival: As soon as you receive the plants remove the various materials in which they are packed for shipment, excepting, 
however, the damp sphagnum moss about the roots. This should be left on until the plants are ready for placing in their final growing quarters. If you 
live in a locality where the ground does not freeze, as for example certain portions of the Southern States or the lower latitudes of the Pacific Slope, the 
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moss should be removed at once and the plants placed in the bed whe^ 
In the more northerly sections, where the ground is frozen and plan 1 , 
remove, as above all the packing except the moss around the roots andj 
tops in a cold frame. If a cold frame is not available, the dirt floor of j’ 
a shed or cool cellar, will answer. In any instance cover the plants com! 
a position where there is plenty of light, but not direct sunlight and ' 
ever. As soon as Spring breaks and it is possible to work the soil, plant 
If the plants are to be buried, as suggested in the preceding paragraphs, \ 
them in a piece of ordinary window screen, to guard against the attacks 
Location of beds: Ro^es give the best results in fully exposed, sunny 0 here free 
circulation of air is assured, and if possible, well removed from any building advisable 
to plant them in even partial shade, as lack of sunlight induces leaf milde weather. 
Soil: Much has been said regarding the soil best adapted to Roses, but . rience has 
been that they do well in almost any good, rich land with a strong preferen . soils of a 
heavy nature. r 
Preparation for planting: Given that a suitable plot has been selected, we now come to 
the main essentials to success. 
The soil should be trenched or spaded to a depth of not less than 18 inches, breaking all 
lumps, removing all stones, etc. This operation complete, spread over it three or four inches of 
rotted manure. Spade in, and when thoroughly incorporated, rake the bed to final grade. 
Measure the distance apart plants are to be set, allowing two and one-half or three feet 
between them. At each designated point dig a hole 12 inches wide by 2 feet deep; place in the 
bottom 8 inches of well-rotted manure, preferably cow manure, if obtainable. Tread this firmly. 
On top of this put 6 inches of well prepared soil containing no manure whatever. Tread again 
to firm the layer of soil on manure. The remaining portion of the unfilled hole will now be 
ready to receive the plant. 
If the Roses are in a dormant or bare-root condition, place them in the holes and carefully 
spread out the roots in as nearly natural position as possible, gradually filling in with fresh soil 
containing no manure. When the hole is completely filled, tread the soil around the plant as 
firmly as possible. Make a basin immediately surrounding the plant and water thoroughly. 
Depth of planting: The accompanying illustration shows a fair sample of one of our 
strong 2-year-old budded Rose bushes. B denotes the point of insertion of the bud in the original 
wild stock. A, the depth that the plant should be set in the soil. C indicates the splendid root 
action to be noted in the class of Roses which we send out. The point A is about 3 inches above 
point B. Point A is the proper height the soil should reach when the plant is finally set. 
Watering: With the exception of an occasional syringing to clean the foliage of dust. 
Roses should have little or no water overhead. Irrigation either by means of shallow trenches 
running along the rows or by an individual basin around each plant are the best methods. 
This puts the water where it belongs ... at the roots. 
In sections where there is small rainfall the plants should be kept moist during their entire 
growing season. After each watering a liberal but shallow cultivation of the soil will prove 
highly beneficial and will tend to retain the moisture in the ground. 
It is almost impossible to make any hard-and fast rule in regard to the frequency of water¬ 
ing, as at times the beat and consequent evaporation is greater than at others. The principal 
thing to take note of is to see that the soil is continually moist during the flowering or growing 
period. A mulch of well-rotted manure, 2 or 3 inches deep over the entire surface of the bed, 
will help check evaporation, saving water. 
Pruning: The principal pruning should be done either just after the plants have finished 
Summer growth—say in the months of November or December, or in very cold sections just 
before the sap begins to rise in the Spring. 
It is difficult to give the exact method of pruning, but it might be summed up as follows: 
Remove all small twiggy growth, pruning back to strong, well-ripened canes which are 
well furnished with healthy, big dormant eyes. As a general thing, the entire top of the plant 
should be removed. The engraving shows a properly pruned Hybrid-Tea, a 2-year-old plant. 
As the plant ages it naturally will support more canes and should be pruned accordingly. Very 
drastic pruning is advised for exhibition blooms only. 
Insects and Diseases: Roses are affected with various fungus diseases, pests, etc. But we 
will only treat of those which are most generally prevalent and give the '- — 
most trouble. These are principally aphis or greenfly, mildew and black 
spot. For their control we have found nothing to equal the new prepara¬ 
tion “Tri-Ogen.” This preparation has a distinct advantage of exercising 
a complete control over nearly all of the diseases that manifest them¬ 
selves in roses, particularly those referred to above. Spraying your roses 
with Tri-Ogen every two weeks will eliminate 99% of your rose growing 
troubles for it acts not only as a complete fungicide but also as an in¬ 
secticide and is harmless to the plants themselves when used according 
to directions. ^ 
Winter Care: In sections where freezing conditions are severe, 
Roses of all classes can be safely wintered in the open ground by hilling 
up around the plants with soil as far as possible and placing on top of 
this a heavy mulching of dry leaves, straw or other similar litter. 
Remove same as soon as danger of frost is over. With these details 
laken care of even the tenderest 'lea Rose can be wintered in the harsh- 
es: Eastern climate. The hilling up of the plants or the covering with 
litter is quite unnecessary where heavy freezing conditions do not prevail. 
Prlnt«Q by MORRISSEY BROS., Printer •, Lot An* e l«. 
