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THE ROSE BOOK 



be cut back to within two buds of the base ; on those 

 as thick as a lead pencil, four buds may be left; and 

 on those of the average thickness of one's little finger, 

 five or six. Stems that are still more vigorous may be 

 " pegged down " if an abundance of bloom is desired, 

 or they may be shortened to within eight or ten inches 



of the base. It is far 

 better to prune too 

 severely than too light- 

 ly; one of the objects 

 of pruning is to force 

 dormant buds into 

 growth. So many 

 amateurs seem afraid 

 to cut below the green 

 growths that develop 

 early on the upper parts 

 of the stems, whereas 

 one of the objects of 

 pruning is to do so. 

 The buds at the base 

 of the stems are so 

 much more valuable, 

 and cutting down the latter forces them to grow. The 

 difficulty of giving precise directions is increased by the 

 fact that in some varieties the buds are twice as far apart 

 on the stems as in others ; thus the lead pencil test 

 applied to two roses, one having buds close together, the 

 other wide apart, would give stems of varying height, even 

 though the number of buds on each was similar. If, how- 



Wrong ways of making cuts in 

 pruning roses. 



