the first luxury we allowed ourselves on the farm was a collection of roses. we had put aside a sum of money for some necessary repairs, and when they were completed there were six dollars left, which we agreed to spend on the garden. one dollar went for perennial seeds, another for wistaria root. the remaining four were devoted to roses. we sent for an advertised collection of hardy roses, consisting of six two-year-old plants for one dollar and twenty cents, two crimson ramblers at fifty cents each and two dorothy perkins at fifty cents apiece, a collection for winter forcing, which were only little seedlings, and cost forty cents. lastly, a two-year-old moss rose was added, which also cost forty cents. since that time, several two-year-olds of specially desired varieties have been bought, but the purchases made with that four dollars really constituted the stock from which we have populated our own and many other gardens.
the first year the dorothy perkins covered about twelve square feet of sidewall, and all but the winter collection and one of the others flowered the first season. one hundred slips were taken, and eighty-two lived. twenty were sold the following season 158 at ten cents each. the second year one hundred were sold at five cents each to a local store, and three dozen at ten cents to odd customers. the winter collection was not allowed to flower until the second winter; then they were put into the violet-house, where they did quite well, but as we had neither time nor desire to undertake any more hothouse work, we never made any attempt to increase the stock or make any sales. however, rose-growing for the winter market is carried on quite extensively in our vicinity, so i have had ample proof of the profit to be derived from the work when undertaken as a business. but truly, i think growing garden plants is almost as profitable, and most certainly it is a much easier and healthier branch of the work. moreover, it does not require capital, nor the knowledge required for hothouse culture.
the best soil for roses is that which is rich in vegetable matter, such as sod, roots and fallen leaves which have been exposed to the action of the elements long enough to disintegrate and melt into the soil. it is the condition found in the ground cover of woods and forests, and it can be simulated at home by means of a compost heap. old sods, leaves and all waste vegetable matter are piled up with alternate layers of garden soil, allowed to remain for several months, then thoroughly forked and repiled. when it is wanted for use, pass through a coarse sieve, and mix with one-half its own bulk of cow manure.
if your garden soil is not very good, dig large holes 159 two feet square and deep. then fill up with the home-made compost, or soil from the woods, and old cow manure. when the young plants come from the nursery, unpack and stand the roots in water. if the ground should not be ready, or any other cause compels delay in planting, add rich soil to the water in which the plants are standing, until it is about the consistency of mud, and keep in that condition until the plants can be set in their permanent positions out of doors.
make a hole in the middle of the filled-in space large enough to permit of the roots being spread out to their full capacity. never squeeze plants into a small hole, which necessitates the doubling under of roots. this applies to all plants as well as roses. after the roots have been spread out evenly in the hole, scatter soil over them to the depth of two inches; then water copiously, and after the water has been absorbed by the soil, fill up with dry earth and firm down thoroughly.
watering in the middle of the filling-in operation washes the soil into all the crevices around the rootlets, and insures a supply of moisture around the plants. putting in the dry earth above it prevents evaporation, so that the roots have valuable food while they are recovering their hold on mother earth.
another point to remember in setting out roots is that an eastern or northern exposure is to be preferred to a southern exposure, as the morning sun is better 160 for them than the strong noon-day glare. keep the ground as clean and well-cultivated as around tender annuals.
now we come to the question of food for this gluttonous beauty. get a strong barrel and stand it on blocks to raise it to about the height of a pail above the ground, then tack the mouth of an ordinary burlap bag securely around the top of the barrel, so that the bottom of the bag falls to within one inch of the bottom of the barrel. insert a common tap just above the lowest hoop, then empty two pailfuls of fresh cow-droppings into the bag, and pour water over it until the barrel is full. let it stand two or three days before using. dose: three quarts of the liquid for each plant every two weeks, from the time they show life in the spring until september.
hybrid teas are the variety best adapted to garden culture. they embrace some of our most beautiful roses, are perfectly hardy and flower throughout the summer. to this class belong all the killarney and lyon family; la france, viscountess folkestone, mrs. aaron ward, harry kirk and about one hundred others. in order to insure free flowering none must be allowed to fade on the bush. keep a close watch, and cut the moment the petals show any sign of withering. allow long stalks, as it is the most natural way of pruning these plants and insures a supply lasting until frost.
crimson ramblers i have discarded entirely, for their blossoming period is short, and their foliage is 161 not attractive. dorothy perkins and hiawatha both grow rapidly and are better in every respect.
two years ago, i bought one plant of the new german climber, thousand beauties, which is rightly named, for it is a mass of blossom, and it is like having twenty plants in one, as it bears flowers of all shades, from white to deep crimson. it was a constant wonder and delight the whole of last summer and made quite as much growth as any of the other climbers, so i really think it is worth a place in any collection.
in the fall, all bushes are given a conservative pruning, by which i mean that only some of the old wood is removed—not all—and that the rampant young growth is cut back to about half its length. after the ground is frozen, a heavy covering of cow manure is put around the plants at a distance of two or three feet, according to the size of the bush, and at christmas-time, before the really severe weather comes, fallen leaves are spread over that, and a few cedar branches, to prevent their being blown away. in the spring, as soon as the ground can be worked, the manure and leaves are worked into the soil, and any branches which have been winter-killed are cut off.
our collection has been enlarged entirely through cuttings. i cut off about six inches from the end of branches, close to a bud. these cuttings are allowed to stand in water for two or three days, then planted in shallow boxes filled with moist, rich soil, and kept in a light, warm cellar, where the temperature averages 162 about fifty degrees. the following year they are planted out into nursery beds until august, when they are set out in their permanent homes. last summer i transplanted ten straight from the cellar into a garden bed, and by july they were two and a half feet high, and bore from four to seven blossoms each from august to september 15th, when we had a hard, frosty night, which checked all development.
if cuttings are intended for winter forcing, proceed as before until the second spring, then transplant into pots, which should be plunged to the rim in the ground.
about once a week turn the pots around, to prevent any roots which may force their way through the bottom of the pot from getting a hold on the ground. at the same time nip off any flower buds which may appear. feed well, to promote growth, and about july have the benches in the hothouse filled up with rich soil, to which has been added a goodly percentage of silver sand. remove the plants from the pots, and set out about fifteen inches apart. of course, the fire must not be started in the heating apparatus, and all windows and doors must be kept open, so that the plants have plenty of air, and during the hot, close days, they should be lightly sprayed three or four times a day. after the first of september there is danger of frost, so it is best to close the windows at night, but the principal desire is to keep the plants cool to permit their growth until the fires are lighted and forcing really begins, which should be about october. when the fires are first lighted, keep the 163 temperature down to about fifty-five degrees, increase slowly to sixty-five, then to seventy.
watering is a great problem, and nothing but practice can really teach you the exact proportions. the only general instruction is: the plant must never be allowed to dry out, nor must it ever be too wet. a spray for green fly and other insects should be used in the evening, once or twice a week, from the time the plants are taken from the garden into the house.
