“THE BEST IN ROSES” 
27 
Cultural Hints 
■pOSES are usually hungry and thirsty. One of our most common mistakes is 
not giving them sufficient water. Keep the ground moist. Water thoroughly 
each time. Frequency of watering depends on your soil, usually from one- to 
three-week intervals. Water in morning only. 
In the early spring, mulch rose beds with either cow manure, peat moss or 
lawn clippings. Cow manure is excellent if clean, but foul weeds and insect 
pests may be brought into the garden through it. Feed each plant a half tea-cup 
of a well balanced commercial fertilizer ever two months during the growing 
season. 
If you do not use a mulch, cultivate the ground lightly after each watering; 
just enough to break the crust. Deep cultivating cuts the feeding rootlets. 
Keep the roses well watered in summer. Allowing them to dry and go 
dormant causes the bushes to defoliate and sunburn. 
Ground canes are the best wood on a rose bush. They are the soft new 
canes coming from around the bud union, with foliage and thorns identical to 
the older growth. Suckers come from below the bud union and have entirely 
different foliage, thorns and color. Suckers should be cut out as soon as identi¬ 
fied. 
Pruning is very important and should be done during the dormant period. 
Leave new wood, cutting out as much of the old wood as is possible to still 
retain the form of the plant. Cut new wood back about half way and to an out¬ 
side eye. However, you must prune according to the individual plant as no 
set rule applies to all. It is advisable to prune soft wooded varieties with a 
sharp pruning knife. Paint all cuts of any size with “Tree Heal.” 
GROWING ROSES 
We are endeavoring to give our patrons the choicest varieties in roses and to 
produce the best possible plants. By so doing we feel that growing roses will 
be a joy to our patrons as well as a great satisfaction to us. Each year we drop 
some varieties to stock some of the new roses which we feel will be an improve¬ 
ment over the old ones. We have tried to give you the faults as well as the 
good points as we have observed them in the field. All varieties are budded on 
Odoratta root. This root stock will do well in nearly all sections of the Utiited 
States. 
ROSE SHIPMENT 
Roses shipped by Parcel Post or Express should reach the purchaser in per¬ 
fect condition no matter how far shipped. On opening package, if roots should 
be found to be dry, soak in water twenty-four hours, or bury entire plant in 
wet soil for two or three days. Do not expose roots to sun or wind when planting. 
Any bruised or broken roots should be cut off. 
DRAINAGE 
Roses require good drainage. If soil has poor drainage use several inches 
of coarse sand or gravel below where the rose is to be planted. Should the 
entire garden have poor drainage, tile drainage should be used. 
