SOILS, PLANTINGS, PRUNINGS 37 



the same way, always bearing in mind the 

 differences of growth and constitution of each 

 Rose. For instance, I was obliged one year to 

 cut a plant of Ferdinand Batel level with the 

 ground, in hopes of persuading him to start 

 again with a little more vigour than he had 

 shown for two years ; while large sums would 

 not induce me to take an unnecessary inch from 

 the strong plants of glorious Madame T^avary 

 next to him. Yet when these two Roses first 

 appeared they were supposed to be much of 

 the same habit. 



We begin early in April on the Tea Roses ; 

 and if the wood has ripened well, very little 

 pruning is needed ; among the dwarf plants 

 only weak and bad wood being removed, and 

 the shoots slightly shortened. But where 

 frost has withered a shoot, it must be cut 

 back to thoroughly sound wood. With climb- 

 ing Teas as much healthy wood as possible 

 should be preserved, the side shoots on one 

 or two year-old wood being shortened back to 

 two or three eyes where advisable, to prevent 

 overcrowding. But with all Teas it is well 



