Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-08-25
Jbe FaUoife Of The Fio1oers
From the American Thresherman.

No flower is sweeter, no flower
oyed so well, no flower more uni
versally cultivated than the rose, and
vet every year complaints are made
about failures with them my plants
are winter-killed," one writes. The
worms and bugs have destroyed all
nv flowers" says another 81 can
grow any other flower" writes third,
Except roses. They grow for my
neighbors, but not for me-"
In ATTITUDES where roses winter
kill" the only remedy is to select
such as are hardy enough to stand Sc
we're weather if you cannot bring the
choicer sorts through by giving them
protection. By the term "choicer
sorts" | have reference to hybrid per-
petuals and hybrid teas. These two
classes have the finest flowers of all,
and those who care for roses in per-
lection should make an attempt to cul-
tiyate them Ellwanger says that to
have fine roses one must have roses
in the heart. If you have "roses in
YOUR heart" it is possible that you
may succeed with kinds, which those
who care less for them fail with, be-
rause, loving them, you will spare no
kpains to give them that care which
thew require l find that compare
lively tender varieties can be wintered
safely in Wisconsin if the bushes are
laid down on the ground in the fall
nd wit
eight or ten inches of leaves. Many
kinds do we'll with simply covering
of earth, but one need not expect to
grow fine hybrids at the north unless
some protection is given the plants
Where it has been proved by expert
ence that these classes can not be
wintered successfully, such sorts as
George the Fourth, very dark, very
double and very sweet June-fiowering
kind; Harrison's yellow, variety hav-
ing great quantities of flowers of the
richest yellow imaginable, and the old
damask and Providence, should be
grown.
Eternal vigilance is the price of
liberty" they tell us, and it is equally
true that it is the price of fine roses.
No plant in our garden has more foes.
Rose-chafers, beetles, worms and
aphides attack them, and, if not fought
promptly and resolutely, they soon
ruin our chances of having good flow
ers. Do not wait until the pests APP
pear, but get the start of them. Act
on the idea that they will surely come,
and try to head them off. Treat the
bushes as if they were already there.
Apply powdered hellebore very early
in the season, putting it on with bel
lows, or powder gun, while the foil
age is damp with dew, and being sure
to get the powder all over the plant
Throw it up among the leaves so 1t
will reach the under side of them. 1
have great faith in the efficacy of this
application as a preventive of the
pest, but if the enemy has taken pos
session before l knew he was about l
use kerosene emulsion, prepared as
follows: One part slightly sour milk,
two parts kerosene. Churn together
forcibly, until the liquids unite and
form white, jelly-like substance.
To one part of this add eighteen or
twenty parts of water, and apply with
a syringe, being sure that all parts of
the plant are reached with it. This
will almost always kill worms, aphides
and beetles if it gets to them. 1t may
be necessary to repeat the application
several times. After each application
| would put paper or cloths about
each bush, and jar the stalks forcibly
to dislodge insects, and those that
fell off | would promptly consign to
the stove If hellebore is used dur
ing the early part of the season, ana
used thoroughly-unless you use 1t
in mat manner you might as well not
use it at allan confident that, IN
nine cases out of ten, your bushes can
be saved without further trouble.
But the use of hellebore seems lnef-
fectual after the bushes become in