THE ROSE GARDEN. 109 



till it is covered. With respect to the shortening of the shoots, they should be 

 cut back to eyes that are well ripened, and no farther. Cover the trellis as tho- 

 roughly and quickly as possible, and then prune as directed for Climbing Roses. 



We said, at the opening of this Chapter, that Roses may be had in flower all 

 the year round. Let us revert to that point. We must divide our plants into 

 three lots, varying the colours in each as much as possible ; securing the fullest 

 kinds for forcing, and the least double for winter flowering. From June to Octo- 

 ber, inclusive, may be considered the natural season of flowering. By forcing, of 

 which we shall speak in the next Chapter, we may obtain flowers from February 

 to May. It is now our intention to relate how we secure flowers from November 

 to February. This is the most difficult point to attain. Nevertheless, it is done, 

 by inducing the Autumnals to grow and form flower-buds late in the autumn, and 

 by preserving these flower-buds from wet and frost. I do not say this plan is 

 new, or has not been adopted by others ; but I certainly am one who read the 

 lesson from the book of Nature, and afterwards practised it with complete suc- 

 cess. Walking one October evening among some Chinese and Tea-scented Roses 

 which had been transplanted in spring, and had grown and flowered but little 

 during a dry summer, I could not but remark how thickly the trees were then 

 covered with small flower buds. The first inquiry was, as to the cause of this, 

 which was soon discovered. A dry spring had been succeeded by rain late in 

 summer, and the plants were now growing vigorously. Pleased at first by the 

 prospect of so late a bloom, it did not strike me that it would be the middle of 

 November before the flowers could be perfected. However, frost and rain set in, 

 and the consequences were soon apparent — the flower-buds were blighted and 

 decayed. One kind alone, Chinese Fabvier, a semi-double scarlet one, braved the 

 storm, and his rich warm tints were unusually beautiful, or perhaps apparently 

 so, in contrast with the desolation that reigned around. The petals of the most 

 double kinds had become glued together at their tops, which prevented them from 

 expanding, and the buds rotted. From these observations I inferred two things ; 

 1st, That had these flower-buds been protected from frost and rain, they would 

 have been gradually unfolded ; for they continued advancing in size so long as 

 the weather remained favourable. 2dly, That the least double varieties are more 

 likely to expand their flowers perfectly late in the year than others, because less 

 affected by damp ; and, that the damp was as destructive as the cold, was evident, 

 from the most double varieties, which retain moisture the longest, being in the 

 worst state, and from the semi-double ones flowering, in spite of the adverse 

 weather. 



Building upon these inferences, late in the following summer (I think in 

 August) I cut down the main shoots of several Autumnals that were then flower- 

 ing in pots, leaving two or three eyes on each shoot to break from. They broke ; 

 and in October, the flower-buds being formed, the plants were removed to a cold 

 pit, giving all possible air in fine weather. It was a mild winter, but a damp 



(Div. I.) u 



