49 



CHAPTER VII. 



PRUNING 



** May'st thou long sweet crimson gem 

 Richly deck thy nature stem." 



— Burns. 



"To be or not to be? That is the question." 

 Often and often I have repeated these words when look- 

 ing doubtfully at a tree that I was pruning. The 

 greatest expert is often perplexed as to whether or no 

 a bough shall be removed or shortened only ; whether a 

 tree should be lightly or heavily pruned. 



It is not only a question of variety, but the health 

 and shape of a tree, that determines our decision. The 

 very position of the buds upon a bough will often per- 

 plex us, especially on long-jointed wood. My advice 

 to all is, cut twice rather than risk an irreparable mis- 

 take. In pruning you have a threefold object in view : 

 I. The health of the tree. 2. The production of perfect 

 flowers. 3. The shape of the tree. Your pruning shall 

 decide for you the extent of your successes in the Rose 

 ^'orld. There is no more important operation in the 

 life of a Rose tree than its pruning, and great care and 

 judgment is required so as to get the best out of every 

 tree. There is always something to learn, for no two 

 Roses are quite alike, and their trees will often differ in 

 habit of growth on various soils. 



I well remember going into a cottager's garden 

 near Bath to see and advise the owner on his trees, and 

 I was amazed to find a ** White Maman Cochet," vir- 

 tually unpruned for years, about seven feet high, doing 

 well and carrying a mass of huge exhibition flowers 

 that any nurseryman would have been proud to own. 

 This was no climber, but a bush tree run riot, a tree that 



