68 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



before, one should keep all flowers or at least all withered 

 flowers picked in order that they will not detract from the 

 vitality of the plants. Liberal quantities of manure placed 

 about the plants occa.sionally is also very good for forcing 

 the roses to bloom more freely. When winter approaches, 

 the roses should be mulched with about eighteen inches of 

 leaves or straw. Even the hardier varieties will come out 

 more vigorous in the spring if given a light protection. 



Pruning is one of the most important factors in rose grow- 

 ing and it is one thing the average person fails to success- 

 fully perform. In general, light pruning will give many 

 flowers, whereas heavy pruning will allow only a few of very 

 large size to be developed. Ver}^ little fall pruning is neces 

 sary. Merely remove the bushy tops and cut back the long 

 canes so you can protect them better for winter. In the 

 spring, cut back the h^^brid perpetual, hybrid tea and moss 

 roses about two-thirds of the previous season's growth. Such 

 roses as the hardj^ climbers and rugosas should be pruned as 

 little as possible. Cut off al)out one-fifth of the previous 

 season's growth from such plants and trim out all old and 

 dead shoots. 



The rose is not subject to very many serious insect or 

 fungous troubles. The rose beetle is considered by many 

 as being the worst enemy of roses. About the onl}' good way 

 of preventing its ravages is to carefully examine the rose bed 

 every morning and pick off all the beetles that are to be found 

 and destroy them. Kose slugs also become injurious occasion- 

 ally but may be held in check by frequent sprayings with a 

 good insecticide such as lead arsenate (V/z pounds to 50 gal- 

 lons of water). This adheres better on the plants than Paris 

 green, and is not so apt to injure the foliage. Several fungous 

 diseases such as the black spot and (lie mildew frequently 

 affect the rose. In fact, one can scarcely find a rose bed 

 which does not have one or both of these diseases unless such 

 beds have been unusually well cared for. Spraying with Bor- 



