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Joseph Hill: England

However, moss is being imported and, as far as can be discovered without an actual test, is practically the same. In England, one of the best growers, Herbert L. Wettern, who won the Amateur Championship of England, for exhibition and decorative roses, in 1915 and 1916, uses a mulch of spent hops on his beds. This may be secured from any brewery, usually for the cost of hauling, or for fifty cents a ton. Tested this year, it has proved a fair substitute for peat moss; the temperature of the beds covered with it has been about the same as other beds covered with moss, but it does not conserve moisture as well as the old mulch. It would seem that if a deeper mulch of spent hops was put on, it would be practically as good as moss. However, roses which lose their foliage early do better with the moss.

Lewis Rumford, of Wilmington, Delaware, advocates the use of cut grass on beds in summer to protect them from heat; where moss or hops are not used this would undoubtedly be of value.

Dr.

To return to the composition of the bed itself.

We have found that there are two most important things necessary to insure success: First, the bed must underdrain, to get rid of any great surplus of water, so that in very damp seasons the rose roots will not be too wet; second, the bed must, on the other hand, retain moisture to a certain extent so that in very dry seasons the roots will not be too dry. To obtain the drainage it is necessary in soil which is greatly composed of clay to underdrain the beds by a layer of crushed stone; where the soil is more open, gravelly or sandy, this is not needed.

Under very bad conditions tile should be used, but never to the extent of draining all the moisture away. The bed should be made two and one-half feet in depth if underdrainage is necessary, with about six inches of crushed or broken stone put in the bottom; small crushed stone lies evenly, and the earth does not sift through it enough to clog the drainage.

Large or uneven stone should be covered by something to keep the earth from sifting through. If the bed is made in a lawn the turf cut from the surface and turned upside down is a good expedient, or a couple of inches of fine cinders will be found all that is required. Fine stone is really the best. Of course, for a location which is gravelly or sandy, this stone will not be needed and a depth of two feet will be sufficient.

Mr. E. M. Rosenbluth, of Wallingford, Pennsylvania, secures better drainage for his roses by dynamiting the foundation of his beds. We will now consider that we have dug a trench, the bottom either covered or not covered with stone to the depth of six inches, but which is now two feet from the ground level. It should be noted that in digging this trench for the bed the top soil should be placed in one pile and the subsoil in another.

The top soil is the soil on the surface, which runs to different depths, usually about six inches, and which is composed for the most part of decayed vegetation from the roots of many generations of grasses, etc.

It contains a percentage of humus and is, therefore, very valuable as food to the rose roots. Usually it is darker in color than the subsoil and can easily be noted. In soils where there is a large percentage of clay or loam it will not be necessary to use subsoil other than that taken from the trench, as far as onethird of the mixture to be put back into the bed is concerned; but where soil is very gravelly or sandy it would be best to secure some heavy loam or clay to make the proper kind of bed. The finished bed should be one-third top soil, one-third heavy clay subsoil, and one-third cow manure. There will not be enough top soil taken from the trench to supply the one-third necessary for the bed, and more must be provided.

In localities where there is no heavy clay or loam there will often be found heavy, dark soil which contains decayed leaves, roots, etc., which is a very good substitute. Subsoil containing sand in any quantity should have loam and clay added and top soil containing much sand should have other top soil added. Reverting to what has been said before, and to make the matter perfectly clear, it will be remembered that the soil should be heavy enough to hold moisture, be rich enough for sustenance, and yet must drain at the bottom.

The ideal way to mix the top soil, clay and manure in three equal parts would be by machine, but for all practical purposes we have found the following procedure to be all that is necessary: Cover the bottom of the trench with a given number of wheelbarrow loads of the rich, darker top soil, then add the same number of loads of the lighter, clayey subsoil, and then an equal number of loads of manure, after which the whole bed should be forked together thoroughly to mix the ingredients. After this first layer is thoroughly mixed, proceed as above with the wheelbarrow loads of each ingredient and mix again.

After each mixing the bed should be thoroughly rammed, otherwise it will settle too much after it is finished.

In addition to the above, we would advocate adding, for every twenty-five feet of bed, the following: One bucket of lime, evenly distributed, to be added after the first layer is mixed, and one bucket of bone meal, evenly distributed, to be added before the last layer is put in.

When making beds for autumn planting it would be well to realize that very often roses imported from the other side are delayed. The season may be very late with the European growers, and the leaves not fall from the plants until after our heavy frosts (which may be early ones) have frozen the ground. For this reason, when the beds are made the ground conditions must be carefully watched, and if frost appears they should be covered with a heavy litter. This will usually protect the ground so that if the roses do not arrive until well into the autumn they may still be planted. We have successfully planted roses after hard freezing and six inches of snow in December, our beds having been covered with a heavy litter before the snow fell.

When planting we removed snow and litter and the following year our roses did well.

HAVING gone carefully over the chapter on "Varieties" and considered the lists of roses, the reader will be ready to order his plants. It is believed that the suggestions hereinafter given will aid in avoiding many of the errors and disappointments usually connected with this necessary work. Ordering is indeed one of the most important features to be considered; when properly done it insures success, and when improperly done it is sure to bring disappointment. An understanding of the conditions which beset all nurserymen would do much to help. The main trouble is that the average man does not properly specify just what he wants and when he wants it, and he does not consider substitution.

The nurseryman receives his greatest number of orders in the spring and autumn when he and his entire force are overworked. He has only so many varieties and only so many plants of each, and his roses are in a certain condition, which may or may not be good. Therefore, theman who sends hisorder early, specifying exactly what he wants, stands the best chance of securing what he desires. Later orders, unless very specific, naturally are filled from what stock is left, not always with what was desired, and the fault does not rest with the nurseryman. If the order is properly made out and request is made for its immediate filling, and the nurseryman who receives the order advises that he is unable to ship, then the purchaser has an opportunity to place his request elsewhere; but if the order is not properly made out and does not specify regarding substitutions the shipment may not be satisfactory. In ordering roses the following requisites should be specified: Field-grown, two-year-old stock, or if possible, three-year-old stock; budded stock, not grafted or own-root roses, except in the case of the most vigorous varieties; dormant stock. In addition instructions should be given for substitutions. Ordinarily dormant roses are much better for either spring or autumn delivery, but if roses are ordered after the growing season has started it is impossible to get dormant plants. In our opinion plants which have started growth are uncertain but with care will often do well.

If the ordering is done in the fall and the roses are so late in coming that, although the beds have been covered with litter, the ground is frozen hard to some depth and it is impossible to plant them, do not, under any circumstances, have them kept indoors during the winter, for they will then generally sprout, and if planted early, will be set back by the late frosts, or if kept until later will be set back on account of their change after growth has started.

It would be wiser to heel the plants in the open ground; that is, dig a trench deep enough to cover the roses half-way up the canes and place the plants therein, filling in with dry earth.

As we believe that the greater number of budded roses can be properly secured from almost any large nurseryman, the nearest one would be the best from whom to order.

Recently, as mentioned in "Propagation," there have been some American firms who have tried budding on Japanese Multiflora. We have grown these plants for a number of years past and have had very good success with them.

In ordering from such growers the planter has the advantage of securing stock more or less acclimated, and does not run the risk of having the heat of the steamers sprout plants directly imported; he is dealing with firms close at hand and is also aiding an American enterprise.

It is, therefore, suggested that when the desired varieties may be secured, the same can be obtained from the following growers, who are budding on the FIG. 23 FIG. 22