DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



ders are more so than myself.) that in shorten- 

 ing we are sure to cut down to sound and vi- 

 gorous wood, such as has not and will not win- 

 ter-kill, and through which the sap will com- 

 mence a healthy and vigorous growth in spring. 

 Hence we take off rather more than the last 

 growth of the season. If the work is delayed 

 until February or March, we cut down to where 

 the buds are healthful and strong. Y'rs truly, 

 W. Bacon. Richmond, 3£ast., July 7, 1851. 



A. J. DowNiNfi, Esq. — Dear Sir: I should 

 not venture to address you, but for two encour- 

 agements, (very faint ones to me, to be sure, 

 but still encouragements,) whicii I find in the 

 pages of the Horticulturist. One of these is 

 your promise to answer all questions of your 

 subscribers, if put in a brief form. Alas for 

 me then ! but — I have a question to ask. The 

 other is your invitation to '' Horticulturists and 

 Amateurs to contribute Essays, Papers, or 

 Rough Notes of Experience." Now, I am too 

 ignorant for a horticulturist, but if amateur 

 means a lover of flowers, (roses especially) I 

 am one, most certainly ; and I must detail my 

 experience, in order to ask my question. 



Two years since, I came in possession of four 

 roses; the Fellenberg. Louis Philippe, Queen 

 of Naples, and Gloire de France. These I 

 planted out on the north side of the house, in 

 the only place which could then be spared for 

 them. I was instructed to cut them all down 

 to within a short distance of the ground, on the 

 approach of cold weather, but thej' grew so 

 beautifully during the summer, that when au- 

 tumn came I could not bear the thought of 

 cutting them down. I therefore, took up the 

 Fellenberg, and covered the rest carefully with 

 straw, and placed a box over them. When I 

 uncovered them in the spring, I found that the 

 Queen of Naples and Louis Phillippe had each 

 sent a shoot from the root, some six inches in 

 length, which, for want of air, had died and 

 moulded. These were covered too early, and 

 with too much straw; so I had learned some- 

 thing from experience. On close examination, 

 I found that the Queen of Naples was entirely 

 dead, the Louis Phillipe showed one bud close 

 to the root, while the Gloire de France, more 

 hardy than either, exhibited quite a healthy 

 stem. I now removed them to a bed 

 lad been prepared on the east side of the 



house, and added to them the Souvenir de 

 Mahnaison, White i)/c;/(//i/j/ Moss Rose, (I have 

 my doubts about its bcinga monthly, )Chron)a. 

 tella, and Gloire de Rosamene. The Louis 

 Phillippe grew a few inches, then a careless boy 

 snapped the top off with his whip-lash, and it 

 never came up again. The Gloire de France 

 gradually died down to the root, then sent up 

 one small sickly sprout, which grew an inch, 

 and then stopped. I dug away the earth from 

 the roots, and filled in with chip dirt, watering 

 it plentifully, and it soon began to grow. The 

 Souvenir de Malmaison was killed about as 

 soon as I had it, by a great black bug, which 

 gnawed into the heart of the root. I resolved 

 to cover the roots with tan-bark this winter, 

 but as tliey make no more scruple of disap- 

 pointing ladies in the west, (this part of it, at 

 least,) than others, my tan-bark did not come 

 to hand; so I twisted straw carefully about the 

 the stems, and about the middle of our very 

 mild winter, all except the Moss Rose were co- 

 vered with boxeS; so placed as to admit plenty 

 of air. This spring I found my Moss Rose en- 

 tirely uninjured, — my two Glories, (of France 

 and Rosamene,) at once sent up strong shoots 

 from the roots; but my Chromatella — no, that 

 too, is alive ! A very small tuft of leaves made 

 their appearance three inches up the stem. But 

 in a very few days, to my dismay, these leaves 

 began to droop. In my alarm I took it up, 

 (breaking several long strong roots in the ope- 

 ration,) but could discover nothing which 

 should cause its death. A foot from where it 

 stood, and within two inches of my Moss Rose, 

 a very small something made its appearance 

 when the leaves first began to droop, and grow- 

 ing with amazing rapidity, soon showed unmis- 

 table proofs of its origin. I had not, then, lost 

 my Chromatella. It is now seven feet high, 

 and sf'l growing at the rate of an inch a day. 

 Now, Mr. Downing, must I cut down this 

 splendid i>lant? Is there no way to save it? It 

 has not blossomed yet, and I fear it will not 

 this year. And my others, too, growing and 

 blossoming beautifully as they are, must they 

 all come down? If you will give me some ad- 

 vice about them, you will confer a very, very 

 great favor on ^ Subscriber at the West. July 

 7, 1851. 



We shall be glad, if possible, to give our fair 

 correspondent in Illinois some consolation 



