of Rural Art and Taste. 



301 



selected next in order is the form of the beds 

 and their arrangement. Allusion has pre- 

 viously been made to the bad taste of planting 

 roses singly on grass. A decidedly better 

 and more proper way is to plant them snugly 

 in beds, large or small, as suits the means 

 and taste of the grower. For a small collec- 

 tion, one good size bed, cii'cular in form, with 

 the four sides scolloped towards the center, is 

 the most convenient shape. By this arrange- 

 ment the cultivator has all the plants within 

 reach without having to step on the bed. 

 The cultivator should also make himself 

 acquainted with the different habits of the 

 various varieties he intends planting. This 

 can be learned by consulting the catalogues 

 of the commercial growers. Those marked 

 vigorous should be planted in the center, dis- 

 tributing the smaller sorts around the larger, 

 thus forming a compact and regular outline, 

 at once symmetrical and beautiful. For large 

 collections a number of beds would be needed, 

 and a variety of forms could be used. Each 

 form should comprise a complete part of a 

 general plan, each part being complete in 

 itself, a perfect whole would be the result. 



In garden decoration the climbing and 

 pillar roses are very useful ; neatly trained to 

 posts for the center of the rose bed, and dis- 

 tributed throughout a well cultivated shrub- 

 bery they are very ornamental, and when 

 blooming above and among the dark green 

 foliage of well arranged masses of shrubs, 

 they are seen to advantage. 



Pruning. — The following few remarks 

 under this title contains all that is necessary 

 to be said on the subject. Long treatises 

 have been written on it, describing in detail 

 different modes applicable to different classes 

 of roses, and confusing the rose grower by 

 unnecessary and perplexing particulars. 



One principle will cover most of the ground. 

 Strong and robust growing kinds require little 

 pruning. On the other hand, weakly grow- 

 ing roses should be pruned severely. 



In shortening the shoots of the majority of 

 hybrid perpetuals, four or five eyes should be 

 left ; but those of robust and luxuriant growth, 

 such as Madame La Baronne de Rothschild 



and others of like nature, should be only 

 shortened to about half their length. With 

 the more vigorous summer-blooming varieties, 

 cut off about one-third of their entire length 

 only. Keep the center of the plant well 

 thinned, and prune moderate, anything like 

 short pruning with such subjects being pro- 

 ductive of abundant rank wood and scanty 

 blossom. 



In the short growing hybrid perpetuals and 

 bourbons, two or three eyes or buds are suffi- 

 cient to be left. In the more tender tea- 

 scented and chinas, all weak and useless 

 should be removed ; and the operation must 

 be done with care. And as in many varieties 

 the eyes or buds are far apart, the knife must 

 be sparingly used, or failure may be the 

 result. Much, however, depends on the ob- 

 ject or the aim of the cultivator. If a pro- 

 fusion of bloom is required, or a constant 

 supply of buds is necessary, without regard to 

 the size or the perfection of the flowers, then 

 very little pruning is required other than 

 merely thinning out all weak and superfluous 

 shoots, and shortening the ends of the main 

 branches. 



Climbing roses, such as Noisettes, Bour- 

 saults and the Prairies, and some of the 

 vigorous summer roses, are the strongest 

 growers, and require little pruning ; first, 

 because of their vigorous growth, and secondly, 

 because profusion of bloom rather than quality 

 is required. The old and dry wood should 

 be wholly cut away leaving the strong and 

 young shoots of one and two years growth to 

 take its place, with no other pruning than the 

 shortening of the ends of all side or lateral 

 branches, and the thinning out of all useless 

 shoots. In all cases it is the well ripened, 

 plump looking wood that bears the best 

 flowers. Old enfeebled and soft unripe wood 

 should, in all cases, be removed. 



Half pruning in the autumn is very impor- 

 tant to lessen the weight that has to stand 

 against the wind, and to prevent undue ex- 

 haustion from severe cold, dry weather. The 

 final pruning may be done in March or the 

 early part in April. The exact time depends 

 very much on the season being late or early. 



