MARCH. 347 



ROSES. 



After hard freezinor weather is over, roses should be 

 pruned. In the South this may be done earlier than 

 March, in the North April may not be too late. When the 

 winter covering is removed, pruning should follow; this 

 should be governed by the kinds and the objects in view. 

 Most of the monthly roses, such as the China, Bengal, 

 and Noisettes, that may have wintered safely, should be 

 cut back to mere stumps, leaving one to three eyes on 

 each stem. The strength of the plant will then go into 

 these, making strong shoots, loaded with an abundance 

 of flowers. With the Bourbons and Hybrid Chinas, the 

 shoots should be left with six or eight eyes, and by bend- 

 ing down the lower shoots they will form fine heads. 



The Hybrid Perpetual and June Roses should have all 

 decayed and weak wood cut out. Any crowded branches 

 that will prevent the light and air from freely penetrat- 

 ing to the center, should be cut out. The remaining 

 shoots, which are to produce flowers, should then be cut 

 back to about six eyes from the base, or if the shoots are 

 very strong, a few more may be allowed to remain. The 

 pegging down system of managing these and the Bourbon 

 Roses is usually very satisfactory. All shoots older than 

 those of last year, should be cut away, and these that re- 

 main should be bent down, with the ends pegged to the 

 ground or tied to stakes. By this treatment no other 

 cutting back is needed, except to trim away weak and 

 unshapely shoots. 



Moss Roses will bear about the same treatment as the 

 last named class, whether grown as bushes or pegged 

 down, and they may be yet closer pruned. But this will 

 not apply to the Princess Adelaide variety, which must 

 not be severely pruned. 



The Yellow Roses scarcely require any pruning, fur- 

 ther than to remove dead and weak shoots. If the plants 



