The Portland daily press., 1875-12-07
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Roses for Winter Blooming.

Roses for Winter Blooming.
In growing roses for the window the plants
should be procured in the spring; they
should be of small size, and, as a matter of
course, should be perfectly healthy at the
start. We thus obtain a cheaper and really
better foundation for future operations than
when large plant in full bloom is procured
composed of thoroughly decayed sods and
surface soil (not, however, from a garden),
well enriched with good old rotted manure,
mixing there with little sharp sand. The
little plant should be potted into size larger
pot than the one in which it had been previ-
ously grown. Place it in a warm, sunny
window, soak it thoroughly at first with wa
ter, and protect it from the strong light with
paper until the leaves no longer wilt.
As soon as the weather is sufficiently mild
plunge the pots up to the rim in a cold frame,
whitewash the glass, and attend to the ven
tilation and watering every day, regulating
the same by the state of the weather. Once
a week give them aueGk solution of manure
water, and occasionally turn them out of the
pots to examine the state of the roots; If they
are white and growing no fear need be en-
tertained about the tops being green and
fourishing. AS soon as there is an abund-
ance of fibers around the outside of the ball
of soil the plant may be shifted into size
larger pot; but always bear in mind that one
inch larger in diameter will always be sufi-
Gent, as plants are not infrequently injured
by giving them too large size.
In watering always sprinkle the foliage
well, it refreshes and invigorates it wonder
fully. Some growers often mulch the sur
face of the pots with little tan-bark, or,
what is better, rotted manure tnever use it
fresh from the stables); this tends to keep
the soil moist and cool in hot weather. As
the excessively hot weather approaches, the
frame should be made to slope to the north,
and during the middle of the day the sash
should be raised up at an angle of As deg. and
fastened with short prop, but as the sun
declines it must be lowered, and closed en-
tirely at sunset.
Insects, of course, will annoy the novice, as
they do the old gardener, but the green fly Is
easily killed with slight fumigation of to-
bacco smoke, care being taken not to burn the
foliage by allowing it to blaze, and mildew
may be driven off by dusting the foliage with
flour of sulphur. Earth worms in the soil are
sometimes very annoying; to obviate this
plague the pots should be sunk in coal ashes
If at any time plant should look sickly and
cease to grow, the best plan is to head it back,
curtail the. roots, and give il a smaller pot
with fresh soil. By autumn we thus have
usually a strong, healthy plant for our win
ter enjoyment, and it will be never failing
source Of pleasure if kept in perfect health.
In selecting varieties by all means choose the
tea roses they are much better adapted for pot
culture than any other class, are usually very
profuse boomers, exceedingly fragrant, deli
cate in color ard compact in growth. A tru-
ism in rose growing is, that those who really
love flowers always have good luck, for the
fact is such always tend them well.-N. Y.
Tribune.