106 PARSONS ON THE ROSE. 



he will be rewarded by a thrifty and compact habit, rich 

 foliage, and beautiful bloom for two months before Christ- 

 mas ; and if there are a number of plants to be brought 

 into the green-house a week after each other, he can have 

 them in bloom until the late forced roses appear. At all 

 periods subsequent to their commencement, care should 

 be taken to give them sufficient moisture, and as much air 

 as is consistent with the state of growth and the external 

 temperature. Without water, they will neither grow nor 

 bloom well. Under glass, every other day, and in some 

 cases, twice a week is sufficient. 



The great principle to be borne in mind in forcing roses 

 is, that sudden excitement is fatal, and that a plant should 

 never be taken from the open ground into a heated house 

 without being gradually prepared for it. This principle 

 is particularly applicable to deciduous roses. The Re- 

 montant and Bourbon, the Bengal and its sub-classes, 

 which grow and bloom through the whole year, are not 

 so liable to be injured by exciting treatment. 



Cuttings of these that are struck in the spring and 

 planted out in the open ground may have their tops 

 slightly pnined, and their buds all pinched off during the 

 summer, to encourage the formation of wood and of a 

 close head. 



About the last days of summer, or the first of autumn, 

 they can be taken up and placed in quart pots, with a soil 

 composed of one half loam, one quarter cow-dung, and 

 one quarter peat. After being slightly pruned, and left 

 in the shade for a week, they can be placed in frames, 

 protected at night from frost, and exposed to the air in 

 mild weather for some two months, when they can be re- 

 moved, a few at a time, into the green-house, and subject- 

 ed to a moderately increased temperature. They will 

 soon bloom well, and will succeed each other throughout 

 the winter and spring, until roses bloom in the open air. 

 Like the deciduous roses, they require to be protected 



