CULTURE OF THE ROSE. 19 



should be cut wholly away, leaving the strong young 

 growth to take its place, with no other pruning than a 

 clipping-off ' of the ends of side-shoots, and .a thinning- 

 out of crowded or misshapen branches. In all roses, it 

 is the young, well-ripened wood that bears the finest 

 flowers. Old enfeebled wood, or unripe, soft, and defec- 

 tive young wood, should always be removed. 



Next in vigor to the climbers are some of the groups 

 of hardy June roses ; such, for example, as those called 

 the Hybrid China roses. These are frequently grown 

 on posts or pillars ; in which case they require a special 

 treatment, to be indicated hereafter. We are now sup- 

 posing them to be grown as bushes in the garden or on 

 the lawn. Cut out the old wood, and the weak, unripe, 

 and sickly shoots, as well as those which interfere with 

 others ; then shorten the remaining stems one-third, and 

 cut back the side-shoots to three or four buds. This is 

 on the supposition that a full mass of bloom is required, 

 without much regard to the development of individual 

 flowers. If quality rather than quantity of bloom is the 

 desideratum, the pruning both of the main stems and of 

 the side-shoots must be considerably shorter. 



Roses of more moderate growth, including the greater 

 part of the June, Moss, Hybrid Perpetual, and Bourbon 



