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as an inch or more of new growth in early February, whicli is lar 

 too early to prune roses in this neighborhood. In abnormal 

 years many inquiries are received in February or early March 

 from amateurs who ask if they ought not to prune their roses 

 right away because they have started to grow. My advice is, 

 waitl For this reason: The buds toward the top of the bush are 

 usually the first to start into growth. If these are killed or 

 injured by freezing, it does not matter much, for this part of the 

 bush will be cut away anyhow. But pruning stimulates the 

 lower buds into growth — the ones that you are relying on to 

 provide your summer bloom — and if this is done too early in the 

 year, a few mild days, followed by a freezing spell, may injure 

 your rose bushes severely. Defer pruning until it is reasonably 

 certain that the weather is settled and no more hard freezes are 

 to be expected. 



Pick out a nice warm day when it is comfortable to work out 

 of doors, because you are not likely to bring to the job the leisurely 

 consideration that is so desirable, should your nose be nipped by 

 a howling wind and your fingers numb from cold. The poor 

 l^-ofessional, who has his thousands of roses to prune, and who 

 has to get them all done within a specified time cannot, of course, 

 be so choosey about the weather. 



The first thing to do is to cut out all dead wood, and any 

 weak and spindling branches arising from the base of the plant. 

 Do not leave any stubs- always cut close to a main branch and 

 cut clean. Ne.xt, look (n^er the bush carefully and remove any 

 diseased branches, cutting them out completely. Most canes 

 that are more than one year old also should be cut out. When 

 this has been done, the chances are that the remaining canes will 

 not be too thickly placed for best results. 



Now we come to the operation of i)runing the canes that are 

 left. If the object is to obtain a few blooms of the finest or 

 "exhibition" quality, the plants should be cut back severely, so 

 that only three eyes are left on each cane, and not more than three 

 or four canes to eacli bush. If the jireference is to produce a 

 larger number of good flowers suitable for cutting, the pruning 

 should be moderate, and the canes cut back to six or eight buds. 

 But if a large number of flowers fi)r garden display is desired 

 prune lightly, removing only the tips of the canes. 



