1870.] CULTURE OF THE ROSE IN POTS. 109 



THE CULTURE OF THE ROSE IN POTS. 



The Rose is always beautiful, at whatever season of the year it can be 

 had in bloom, but especially so in the early spring months, when in 

 the open air can only be found such things as the modest Aconite, 

 or the Snowdrop in all its fair purity. Valuable at all times, it is 

 especially so as a plant for the ornamentation of the greenhouse thus 

 early in the season. With this short preface, I have now to narrate 

 the method of the cultivation of the Rose in pots I have adopted for 

 some time with much success. I have now a house of Roses — a house 

 specially allotted to their growth, the plants in which began to break 

 into vigorous growth at the commencement of the year, and now give 

 the promise of a splendid bloom. 



But first, as to the soil I use : Of loam, moderately weighty and 

 rich in fibre, I take one-half; cow-manure, well decomposed, one- 

 fourth ; the remaining fourth being composed equally of leaf- mould, 

 sand, and bone-meal. This is well mixed together, but not riddled ; 

 the fibrous loam will be quite small enough if the pieces are of the size 

 of pigeons' eggs. 



Second, as to pruning. In this case, as affecting the results pro- 

 duced by moderate or severe pruning, experience, combined with judi- 

 cious watchfulness, is alone the best preceptor ; for it is required that 

 the cultivator be perfectly conversant with the habit and vigour of 

 the plant to be operated on. Should it make weak growths, it will be 

 requisite to cut away a good portion of them, and leave only those 

 that show the possession of strength, which should be pruned back 

 to about half their length, less or more, according to the vigour of the 

 shoots. In the case of those varieties making robust growth, and 

 having a vigorous constitution, the strongest shoots, especially in the 

 case of Hybrid Perpetuals, should be well thinned out, and the remain- 

 ing shoots pruned back to eight or ten buds. 



Thirdly, as to potting. The practical gardener knows that this pro- 

 cess is a most important one, and that it is sometimes very imperfectly 

 performed. Many who are most scrupulous in regard to the nice dis- 

 tribution of the roots of a vine or tree when planting it, will yet rarn 

 the roots of another plant into a pot without any concern as to whether 

 the plant will have a fair chance of growth allowed it or not. The culti- 

 vator should provide pots of different sizes to meet the requirements of 

 the different-sized plants he will have, allowing an abundance of root- 

 room, more especially for those that have large fibrous roots. Plenty 

 of drainage should be provided — as much as 2 inches of broken pots 

 for a pot of 7 inches in diameter, and rather more for pots of a 

 larger size. Over this drainage a layer of moss should be laid, and 



