00 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP. 
slightly checked, and the benefit gained is very 
slight, if the plants are to be severely pruned. 
We may commence with Roses trained on sunny 
walls about the middle of February, and in this case, 
whether nailed or tied to wires, the operation will be 
very similar to the pruning and laying in of a peach- 
tree. Begin by taking out all dead and weakly 
wood; then consider which shoots are required for 
laying in, giving preference to the ripest rather than 
the fattest, and steadfastly resisting the temptation 
to train them too close together; of the remainder 
for which there is no room on the wall, the gross 
shoots should be clean cut out and the medium- 
sized ones thinned if necessary and moderately 
spurred back. 
A rule for all climbing Roses, but especially for 
Maréchal Niel, the Noisettes, and the Dijon race, is 
that long strong shoots of the year should not be 
cut back much, but either laid in at least three parts 
of their length or removed altogether. Unless 
additional height is wanted, such shoots should not 
be trained upright, as that is likely to lead to more 
wood and less bloom. The Banksian Roses need 
special treatment, for the flowers will not proceed 
from the strong shoots of the year, but from the 
laterals or side growths. There must accordingly 
not be any pruning, but merely a thinning out of 
dead wood and a slight shortening of long strong 
shoots; the weakly-looking twigs alone will blossom. 
Tea Roses, not of the climbing races, which are 
grown on low walls may be pruned more severely if 
quality rather than quantity of bloom be desired. 
March is the month for pruning all Roses in the 
open except Teas and Noisettes; and I think an 
