84 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP. 
am sure; but this poor weakly thing would certainly 
be the better for a dose.” 
This would be an error in principle as well as in 
fact. The principle is a Gospel one, and may be 
found in St. Luke xix. 24—26. It comesinto Rose- 
growing in more than one way ; notably, in pruning, 
that less in proportion should be cut away from 
strong growers than from weakly ones; in selection 
(for ordinary purposes, not for exhibition), that a 
man should cultivate most specimens of the varieties 
which do well with him, and not endeavour to make 
up the balance by growing more of those which only 
sometimes come good; and here, in feeding, in two 
ways, for not only does it pay better, as graziers and 
all keepers of live stock know, to encourage the 
healthy than to coddle and nurse the weak, but also 
the weak cannot wse the rich food which makes the 
strong still stronger. Giving strong meat to babies 
wastes the food and also seriously injures the feeble, 
who must take but cannot assimilate it. 
We should never be afraid of making our plants 
too strong ; for we can always divert the stream of 
sap and lessen its supply to each bud by leaving a 
greater number of shoots or buds on the plant at 
the two periods of disbudding. I have even heard 
of cutting the roots of La Boule dOr in the early 
summer when the thick strong fleshy buds by their 
extra vigour seem unlikely to open properly, but 
should never advise it. At all events the weaken- 
ing of a shoot or plant may be easily and speedily 
accomplished ; it is the getting up of full steam that 
taxes all our time and energy. 
In speaking of weakly plants, I do not mean the 
naturally ‘‘dwarf”’ and ‘‘ moderate”’ growers, which 
