Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-09
GROWING WINTER ROSES.
How to Have Flourishing Plants in Livir
 

How 10 Have Flourishing Plants in Living
 Room.
 Chicago Record.
 The rose is one of the most difficult flowers to grow well in the living room. There 1t cannot have the evenness of temperature and the moist air which suits 1t, and though 1t may live along indefinitely, it will not flourish except in rare instances, and those of us who have window garden like to have four ishng plants in it or none at all. There are but few varieties of the ever-bloom- ing class of roses that can be made to grow in the window garden, and these will be satisfactory only when given the best of care.
 Agrippina is one of them-a slender but rampant-growing sort, having flowers of rich. velvety scarlet crimson. The flowers are not large, nor very double, and the fully expanded blossom is not at all the ideal rose in form and substance. But-when you can't have the best be content with what you have. Its buds, just as they begin to open, are lovely, and it has a spicy, delightful fragrance. It is a very free bloomer, every new shoot of strong specimen being tipped with several buds
 Roses must have a rather heavy soil for their stout roots to take hold of. A ! Ike up your compost of loam, having considerable clay in it. Drain the pot well, for the rose will not tolerate stag nant water at it's roots. In potting your plant be sure to have the soil firmly pack ed about the roots. This is important. A loosely potted rose will not grow until the soil has become compact, and often it will die before this takes place. DO not use large pots for young plants. A 5 or 6 inch pot is quite large enough Tor year-old plant. As the roots fill the soil, shift to pots of larger size, being careful to not injure young and tender roots in doing it.
 Cleanliness is of great importance in rose culture. If neglected plants Will soon become infested with aphis, and this insect, if unmoested, will soon ruin a plant The remedy for ths pest IS fumigation with tobacco or the frequent application of an infusion of sulpho- tobacco soap, which should be applied at least once a week and so thoroughly that not a leaf escapes bath in 1t:
 In warm rooms, where the air Is dry, the red spider will do great injury. The
 remedy for this pest is water. If you see
 the foliage turning yellow and falling or and can see no aphides, you can De qulte sure that the red spider is at work. FIX anime the lower side of the leaves ana vou will find little webs and tiny specks that it hardly seems possible can be nv ing organisms but a closer examination with a glass will soon convince you that they have great deal of vitality apout them, 10 rOut them, dlteI ihSy ho V V become well established on your plants, first give them a bath in water heated to a temperature of 120 degrees Fanren- heit Dip the plants in until all portions of the top are submerged ana allow them to remain covered for about minute Then remove them and wait five or SIX minutes and give another dip. Repeat this operation several times in succession and YOU will be pretty sure to have d clean plant for the time being. To keep if clean after that shower It dally or what is better, because it insures more thorough work. dip it in a tub of tepid water every morning. If you keep your plants moist the red spider will not trouble them. But 1t is difficult to secure and maintain the necessary degree or moisture in the living room; therefore, employ all possible means of impartlng moisture to the air. Keep water con- stantly evaporating on the stove or regis fer Cover the plant table with sand or moss. which can be easily kept WePt' This will give off moisture by steady evaporation. A httle rupper spIinmitl li ta is in the market, which is good thing to
 keep among your plants for use whenev- CT you are at work among them during the day.
 The habit of the roses must be under stood in order to grow them well; Ihey send LID strong shoots from the base or
 the plant and new branches from the old ones. and this new growth bears their flowers. When the flowers fade cut back the branch bearing them to strong bud. This will cause new branch to develop at that point and this in turn. will bear crop of flowers. It Is quite necessary that there should be continued cutting
 back if you would have new, strong growth. and on such growth depends sue cess And an another important item is, keep the soil rich. Give fertilizers at least twice month after Towering be- gins. Fine bonemeal mixed into the soil suits the rose as well as any have ever tried on it.