538 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  27,  1901. 
Roses  in  the  Open  Air;  Treat  them  Well. 
3S[  Those  who  have  a  deep  and  rather  stiff,  loamy  soil,  can  usually 
grow  fine  Roses  provided  they  pay  due  attention  to  liberal  manuring 
and  other  details  of  culture,  but  there  are  hosts  of  gardeners  who 
desire  to  produce  abundanco  of  good  flowers  and  yet  have  a  most 
unsuitable  soil  to  deal  with.  Such,  however,  need  rot  despair,  for 
although  it  is  easier  to  secure  good  results  when  the  soil  is  favourable, 
it  is  nevertheless  a  fact  that  good  Roses  may,  with  proper  manage¬ 
ment,  be  grown  on  almost  any  soil.  It  is  simply  a  matter  of  taking 
enough  trouble,  and  using  ordinary  intelligence  in  carrying  out  the 
various  details  ot  culture.  Those  who  have  a  light  porous  soil  to 
deal  with  have  this  year  found  it  necessary  to  give  greater  attention 
to  watering  and  feeding  than  usual,  for  the  drought  set  in  early,  and 
“starved”  Rose  trees  have  of  late  looked  anything  but  flourishing, 
even  when  they  were  free  from  insects  On  poor  soils  tfe  man  who 
manures  heavily  in  winter  finds  out  the  advantage  of  such  a  practice 
in  seasons  like  the  present.  When  dwarfs  are  grown  in  beds  or 
borders  they  ought  to  be  lifted  at  hast  once  in  four  years,  and  have 
the  soil  trenched  and  manured  heavily  beneath  as  well  as  on  the 
surface.  Some  cultivators  object  to  the  practice  of  b:  rying  the 
manure  deeply,  because,  they  affirm,  that  it  causes  the  roots  to  go 
down  deeply  instead  of  working  freely  near  the  surface.  In  practice, 
however,  I  find  this  theory  can  be  disregarded,  for  although  some  roots 
do  go  down  deeply  in  the  soil  after  the  manure,  yet,  with  good  surface 
culture,  there  is  usually  abundance  near  the  surface  too,  and  I 
maintain  that  we  want  both  surface  and  deep  roots,  as  in  dry  seasons 
the  advantage  of  a  deep  root  run  is  apparent  to  all  close  observers. 
It  has  been  my  lot  to  grow  large  numbers  of  Rose  trees  as 
bushes,  standards,  and  climbers,  on  a  light  and  hungry  soil,  and  I 
have  always  found  the  practice  of  burying  the  manure  deeply,  as  well 
as  using  it  freely  on  the  surface,  to  be  a  sound  and  commendable  one. 
In  addition  to  such  feeding,  it  is  necessary  to  do  something  more  at 
this  season  if  fine  results  are  to  be  secured.  Those  who  have  plenty  of 
liquid  manure  at  disposal,  and  are  able  to  spare  the  labour  to  apply 
it  to  the  Rose  beds,  need  not  fear  hot  weather  or  absence  of  rain,  as 
under  such  conditions  flowers  of  high  colour  are  produced.  It  is  not 
everyone,  however,  who  can  give  such  attention  ;  but  in  such  instances 
a  heavy  mulching  of  manure  will  benefit  the  plants  immensely.  Some 
noted  Rose  growers  who  hail  from  the  north,  in  hot  seasons  apply  a 
coating  fully  9  inches  in  thickness,  and  the  results  justify  the 
proceeding.  It  is,  however,  nevirwiee  to  give  so  heavy  a  dressing 
too  early  in  the  season,  as  the  soil  is  prevented  irom  being  warmed 
by  sunshine ;  wait  till  warm  settled  weather  occurs,  and  then  mulch  to 
conserve  moisture,  as  well  as  to  supply  nutriment. 
It  is  an  undoubted  fact  that  outdoor  Roses  which  are  liberally 
treated  seldom  suffer  much  from  the  attacks  of  diseases  or  insect  pests ; 
but  when  allowed  to  grow  in  impoverished  soil,  the  approach  of  dry, 
warm  weather  is  the  danger  signal  which  precedes  bad  attacks  oi 
mildew  and  hosts  of  green  fly.  The  simplest  and  best  means  ol 
getting  rid  of  the  latter  pest  is  to  boil  2  ozs.  of  softsoap  and  a 
similar  weight  of  quaes  a  chips  in  a  gallon  of  water,  and  syrmgeonthe 
plants  when  cool.  This  solution  will  kill  every  fly  it  touches,  and  if 
a  handful  of  flowers  of  sulphur  is  added  mildew  will  also  quickly 
c  isappear. 
Artificial  manure  is  of  great  value  to  the  Rose  grower,  fish  guano 
being  one  of  the  best  to  apply.  If  this  is  used  as  soon  as  the  flower 
buds  have  formed,  and  is  watered  in,  it  gives  size  and  substance  to 
the  flowers.  Soot  scattered  on  the  soil  during  showery  weather,  or 
given  in  a  liquid  state,  is  of  great  benefit  to  Roses  of  all  descriptions, 
and  many  a  famished  bush  might  be  brought  into  perfect  health  and 
vigour  by  the  use  of  soot  alone. 
In  connection  with  mulching,  I  should  previously  have  pointed  out 
that  in  many  instances  there  is  an  objection  to  placing  manure  on 
the  surface  of  the  beds,  when  everything  in  the  garden  is  required  to 
look  trim  and  neat;  but  this  objection  may  be  easily  overcome  by 
covering  it  with  a  thin  layer  of  cocoa-nut  fibre,  which  gives  a  finish 
which  should  satisfy  the  greatest  advocate  of  trimness.  After  all,  the 
main  point  the  Rose  grower  should  bear  in  mind  is  that  the  “coy 
queen  ”  delights  in  high  feeding  ;  treat  her  well  in  this  respect,  and  she 
will  repay  the  labour  a  hundredfold. — H.  D. 
Roses  in  Pots. 
Having  read  the  directions  respecting  this  method  of  Rose  culture 
that  have  appeared  in  the  Journal  from  time  to  time,  i  should  like 
to  give  my  experience,  gained  in  a  Rose  nursery  where  some  of  the 
magnificent  specimens  that  have  been  exhibited  were  grown.  The 
trade  Roses  are  grown  in  the  minner  I  will  describe,  and  which  1 
believe  few  private  growers  are  acquainted  with. 
Most  of  the  instructions  we  read  on  this  subject  are  somewhat  as 
follows — “Pot  before  flowering  in  loam,  a  little  decayed  dung,  and 
some  bone  dust;  then  afier  flowering  plunge  the  plants  in  ashes  out 
of  doors  to  ripen  the  wood,”  to  which  I  add,  “and  get  red  spider.’’ 
My  instructions  are,  Pot  the  Roses  after  flowering,  carefully  picking 
some  of  the  old  soil  from  the  ball  with  a  pointed  stick.  If  they 
require  a  larger  pot,  let  it  be  only  one  size  larger.  Roses  do  not  like 
a  big  shift.  The  soil  should  consist  of  good  fibry  loam  (not  such  as  I 
used  instead  of  better  when  a  foreman,  which  was  clay  and  leaf  soil) 
one  barrowful,  decayed  manure  one  .barrowful,  road  or  river  sand  half 
a  barrowful,  a  32-sized  potful  of  Clay’s  fertiliser,  and  one  of  soot  ;  if  a 
few  small  crocks  or  pieces  of  charcoal  are  added  so  much  the  better. 
Pot  the  Hybrid  Perpetual s  first,  and  for  every  barrowload  of  soil  left 
add  a  third  of  a  barrowful  of  chopped  peat  for  the  Teas. 
Pot  firmly,  and  stand  the  plants  in  a  house  or  pit  (mine  is  a  pit), 
water  them  three  or  four  times  to  thoroughly  soak  the  soil,  and  be 
sure  they  are  dry  before  they  are  watered  again.  Keep  them  close 
and  shaded  for  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks,  syringing  them  twice  a 
day  ;  then  gradually  discontinue  the  shade  till  they  will  bear  the 
full  sun,  always  increasing  the  air  with  the  reduction  of  shade,  but 
close  the  house  or  pit  in  the  afternoon,  and  syringe  the  plants  if  the 
weather  is  fine.  It  green  fly  appears  fumigate  lightly. 
From  the  latter  part  of  September  keep  the  soil  rather  dry,  but  not 
to  let  the  young  growth  flag.  About  Christmas  they  may  be  pruned 
in  the  usual  way — that  is,  if  they  are  to  flower  in  April  and  May. 
If  wanted  in  March  prune  a  fortnight  earlier.  Stop  the  ends  with 
painters’  knotting  like  Vinep.  Before  starting,  the  top  soil  should  be 
stirred  and  sprinkled  with  Clay’s  fertiliser  or  blood  manure.  As  soon 
as  active  growth  has  ccmmenced  weak  liquid  manure  may  be  given  ; 
the  draining  from  a  cowshed  diluted  to  the  colour  of  “  husband’s  ”  tea 
is  good,  but  that  should  be  discontinued  when  the  blooms  show  colour. 
The  fire  heat  should  be  about  55°  by  day,  45°  by  night;  the  April 
and  May  Roses  may  have  the  fire  heat  turned  off  when  the  buds 
colour  unless  a  severe  frost  occurs. 
Mildew  may  generally  be  avoided  by  ventilating  carefully  and 
opposite  the  wind.  For  instance,  mine  is  an  ordinary  lean-to  pit 
facing  south  ;  well,  with  an  east  wind  blowing  I  should  put  a  small  tilt 
under  the  west  side  of  the  lights,  but  if  mildew  should  appear  sprinkle 
the  pipes  with  sulphur  in  the  afternoon,  start  the  fire,  and  damp  the 
pipes  with  the  syringe  till  the  house  or  pit  is  filled  with  steam,  then 
brush  the  loose  sulphur  off  in  the  morning.  The  May-flowering 
plants  will  have  to  be  shaded  with  thin  canvas  when  coming  into 
bloom.  Very  dark  Roses  open  better  under  a  mat  at  any  time,  as  they 
scorch  and  turn  blue.  The  instructions  given  apply  principally  to 
amateurs  and  gardeners  like  myself,  who  can  afford  only  a  pit  to  grow 
them  in  and  are  content  with  Roses  in  May.  I  learnt  what  I  know  of 
Rose-growing  where  bushes  are  grown  6  feet  through,  but  the  remarks 
apply  eaually  to  smaller  plants  ;  and  if  cultivators  with  little 
conveniences  will  try  the  method  next  season  they  will  perhaps  thank 
me  for  the  few  hints  I  have  given  when  they  see  the  plants  that  will 
be  the  result  of  the  practice  described.  One  more  hint  and  I  have 
done.  Keep  the  plants  open,  and  if  any  shoots  as  thick  as  your  little 
finger  start  from  the  bottom  of  the  stem,  pinch  the  point  out  6  inches- 
above  the  plant  and  cut  it  level  with  the  top  at  pruning  tinpe. 
— A.  G. 
Climbing  Roses. 
Van  Dyke,  in  his  artistic  introduction  to  Nature,  writes  that 
“The  wild  Rose — the  common  wild  Rose — growing  along  the  wood¬ 
land  road  unseen  by  the  farmer’s  boy  and  the  summer  tourist  (there 
are  exceptions  in  the  case  of  the  former),  is  a  vision  of  loveliness 
beyond  all  description.  How  many  times  it  has  led  poets  to  prove 
the  poverty  of  language  !  With  tne  dew  upon  it  in  the  early  morning, 
it  is  the  fairest,  purest  growth  in  all  the  floral  world.”  Of  the  native 
American  species,  the  leading  one  of  the  climbing  type  is  the  Praiiie 
Rose  (Rosa  Setigera,  Michx),  found  generally  in  the  central  or  prairie 
region.  From  it  have  sprung  some  ol  the  choicest  of  climbing  Roses, 
as  Baltimore  Belle,  Prairie  Belle,  Queen  of  the  Prairie,  and  later 
Crimson  Rambler.  They  grow  rapidly,  will  reach  to  a  great  height,, 
propagate  freely,  present  a  satisfactory  foliage,  and  when  in  bloom  the 
attractiveness  of  the  vines  is  complete. 
And  yet  Roses  are  not  at  home  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  In 
reply  to  the  query,  “  Do  climbing  Roses  prove  of  value  for  piazza 
screens?”  there  is  a  “No”  for 'such  States  as  Vermont,  North 
Dakota,  and  Wyoming.  They  need  to  be  covered  in  Colorado, 
Minnesota,  and  Wisconsin.  Of  the  latter  region,  Professor  Goff 
writes:  “ Last  winter  destroyed  nearly  all  Roses,  except  the  Russian 
Rosa  rugosa,  Thunb .”  A  climber  with  the  rugosa  blood  introduced 
into  it  may  bring  a  hardiness  of  great  value.  In  Washington, 
