204 ON BLOOMING THE CLOTH OF GOLD ROSE. 



a wretched one, sickly in appearance, with a few miserable, pale, semi- 

 donble flowers ! How different from the bright rich colour, large size, 

 fulness, and substance of petal which we find in the well-grown plant. 

 Let us now take the same plant in spring : if the head is large cut it 

 freely, give it a liberal shift into good rich compost, and water freely 

 through summer with liquid manure, and what will be tiie result ? 

 Handsome, vigorous plants, with large, ricli, clear-coloured flowers 

 produced in profusion. 



"We have been viewing the tea-scented and Chinas growing under 

 the starving system, and under better culture. Turn now to the Cloth 

 of Gold, and its congeners, and we shall find the remarks I have been 

 making as applicable in this case as in that. Under the starving system 

 I have seen Cloth of Gold so semi-double, small and worthless, that 

 had I not been positive of its correctness, I should have questioned its 

 identity ; it is also very sliy in blooming under this system ; I have 

 seen large plants which cover a considerable space of wall, stand year 

 after year without producing a solitary bloom. Why was this so? 

 The plants (like the tea-scented and China roses we have been speaking 

 of) not growing strong and freely, Iiaving expended all their strength 

 in covering tlie wall, grow slowlj', producing no flowers, but the same 

 sickly, stunted appearance wiiich the teas and Chinas do. I have 

 already remarked having seen magnificent blooms of Cloth of Gold, 

 produced from buds of the previous season, if budded on strong stocks, 

 such as Celine, Manettii, &c. These buds, the first season after being 

 headed back, when they commence growing, and are from fifteen to 

 eighteen inches in length, should they not show symptoms of bloom, 

 ought to have their extreme points pinched out, and the laterals will 

 generally bloom fine in tiie autumn. On the common dog rose grow- 

 ing standard and half standard high, I have bloomed it freely in the 

 same way, not that I recommend it for a standard, indeed, I consider 

 it unsuited for the purpose ; but should a grower wish to try it in 

 that way, he should protect the head from extreme cold in winter, 

 pruning hard in spring, and supply liberally with liquid manure during 

 tlie spring and summer to induce free vigorous growth ; all strong 

 shoots, on attaining fifteen to eighteen inclies in length, must have 

 their points picked off, and the laterals will in general bloom. I have 

 also known them (the strong young shoots) bloom finely when stopped 

 at from nine to twelve inches in length. 



To grow it well and bloom it finely, procure a strong healthy 

 plant worked upon a Celine or Manettii stock in spring ; plant it out 

 against a south wall, having the border well prepared. If the soil is 

 naturally good, it will be sufficient to well enrich it with good rotten 

 dung, having the border previously well drained ; but should the 

 natural soil be bad, it had better be removed, filling up with rich turfy 

 loam and dung, drained well as before. In this it will grow vigorously, 

 and should be assisted during summer every ten days or a fortnight, 

 with a good soaking of liquid manure ; as growtii proceeds nail closely 

 to the wall, and stop all strong shoots at distances varying from twehe 

 to eighteen inches. Manj"-, both of the stopped and unstopped shoots, 

 will bloom freely. In cold situations it would be as well to give a 



