The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-30
WORLDS GREATEST
 ROSE GARDEN
Fifty Thousand Rose Trees, Cover ing Four Acres, Make Up a Fa-
 nous Worlds Fair Beauty

Spot.
 A million roses will bloom at once in the vast rose garden at the Worlds Fair. That is guessing, of course. but the foun- dation of the guess is this: Four acres are set to strong and vigorous rose trees. Thirty of the largest exhibitors have sent their choicest stock and each will strive for first place in the judgment of the jury and people.
 This vast rose garden with its 50,000 rose trees lies east of the great Palace of Agriculture. The warm eastern slope has been made more fertile than your garden or mine with rich compost and it will be a sight worth travelling far to see when the glorious colors make bright the beds and fragrance spreads far be- yond the boundaries that have now been set.
 This rose garden, the planting of which was begun early in April. occupies one of the conspicuous sites in the City of Knowledge. The center of the garden Is at the main entrance to the Palace of Agriculture, a grand structure 1600 feet long and 800 feet deep. It Is on a high elevation overlooking the group of main buildings of the Exposition. and, looking to the northeast splendid view of one of St. Louis's most attractive residence districts Is spread out before the eye.
 When the graders finished their work and turned the site over to the gardeners, every vestige of soil had been removed and broad expanse of sticky. yellow clay remained. Surely to the layman a most unfavorable location for a flower garden. But to the practical rose grower | it was an ideal spot The ground was plated with a series of eight collections, l forming great oval, 150 feet long and 100 feet wide. as the central picture. In the center of this oval Is erected a statue of the goddess of flowers, in heroic size Thanking this oval on the north and south are two great collections, triangular in | form. Scores of other collections laid out in plots of ground in various shapes, but | all conforming with the general harmony of the main picture. have been provided. | Each collection, while separate and dis | tinct in itself, forms a part of a great ! and artistic whole, and a belt of beauti- full green lawn. from four to eight feet wide, surrounds each collection. Spacious gravel walks are provided throughout the entire four acres of roses, and at various intersections. beautiful fountains, sending up streams of crystal water and cooling | the atmosphere, are to be met. Seats to | accommodate thousands of visitors have been provided and the seats are so dis | tributed as not to interfere with the free passage through the gardens of the count less thousands who will revel in the glo- | rious sight
 The work of planting the 50OO0 roses already growing in this mammoth garden, the largest of it's kind ever conceived oc- cupies the time of scores of export gar deners and hosts of laborers. For each collection excavations eighteen inches deep. of the form and size required for the collection. were dug in the sticky clay soil. Then the excavations were filled in
 with rich top soil and sandy loam. A dressing of fertilizer. of the kind best adapted to the requirements of the partic- ular rose tree collection. is spead and then came the work of putting the young plants in their magnifcently conceived new home. With the young plant firmly placed in its perfectly prepared bed, came April showers. The water peroolated through the rich soil and was absorbed in the sandy loam. The strong and healthy young bushes sent their vigorous roots down through the soft earth and found
 secure Judgment in the clay that forms the foundation. Then no matter how hard
 the wind blew. they were not disturbed.
 While the roots were developing unseen
 under the ground, there was evidence of
 their power in the vigorous growth above
 ground. The young shoots. anxious for
 their freedom after the winters captivity
 in the cramped cold frames and the pack
 ages in which they were shipped. grew
 by leaps and bounds. Springing up from
 the ground. the pink shoots were at first | almost transparent, so delicate were they
 Then they became Drowned by the sun and exposure and soon the little buds
 appeared and under the ministrations of
 the watchful gardeners. and the influ-
 ence of the warm April sun, the young plants were allowed to bloom, but not
 sufficiently to tax too great the energy
 of the plant. Expansion was what the
 gardener mostly wanted. and the wood
 growth of the rose tree Is demanded this
 year more than the blossom.
 Most of the 500O0 roses now planted are of the hardy or semi-hardy varieties but many of the varieties that are not supposed to stand the rigors of a St
 Louis winter are among the specimens shown in the mammoth Worlds Fail garden. All during the summer months and until the snow flies next fall, tho 7 rose trees will continue increasing in size strength and beauty. Then will the gar deners take precautions to prevent th'
 frost from interfering with the beautiful Q picture provided for visitors to the CitI of Knowledge. The entire four acres will ; be heavily mulched Manure, straw anC i litter will be packed about the roots O each individual plant, and top layer O Q straw will cover the beautiful rose gar , den in the winter as the waters cover thu e sea and the snow covers the ground Thel
 no matter how low the temperature ma! f drop or how strong the storm may blow s the spring ot 1904 will witness the awak r ening of the greatest and most artisti y exhibit of choice roses ever collected - The planting of this mammoth rose gar ' den was done under the personal super n vision of Joseph H. Hadkinson, who un k der Frederic w Taylor. Chief of Agri > culture, has charge of this outdoor ex