62 FLOWERS AND THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



which are in a thoroughly healthy state, and making 

 good growth, but very cautiously with any which look a 

 little sickly. If a rose is exhausting itself with abun- 

 dant flowering, it may have liquid manure almost with- 

 out stinfc. 



In the spring the earth round every rose should be 

 stirred to the depth of one or two inches, and again 

 whenever the surface gets hard, taking great care later 

 in the season not to disturb the roots. In forking, 

 many gardeners are apt to be very careless of the roots of 

 trees and plants, and want watching in this particular. 



To keep the growth of roses within bounds and in 

 good shape, disbudding, or rubbing oiF all the buds likely 

 to produce shoots where they are not wanted, or where 

 they will be too crowded, prevents much after trouble in 

 pruning. After the buds are fairly started, look over 

 the tree with eye " on the visioned future bent," and 

 rub off or cut out all that are likely to shoot in a 

 wrong direction, and thin out wherever the shoots 

 threaten to become too crowded. This will not only 

 improve the growth but it will strengthen it. 



Pruning is chiefly done in the spring. Trees may be 

 cut back to four or six eyes the first year after budding, 

 as soon as the sap rises and the buds are observed to 

 swell. If they are planted out in the autumn of their 

 first year they may need a little shortening then, to 

 prevent the wind having too much power over them, 

 but they should not be pruned closely when newly 

 planted. 



"When the established trees are pruned, the pruning 

 must be done with reference to the growing shoots 

 forming a good and not too crowded head or bush. To 

 ensure uniformity of growth on all sides of the tree, all 

 the shoots left should be of about equal size, and any 

 of rampant growth had better be shortened, and their 

 lateral shoots stopped as often as necessary. In shorten- 

 ing shoots, cut close to an eye, leaving, as far as prac- 

 ticable, stout plump buds, because they are likely to 

 produce flowers ; and spare also those that turn* the 

 right way, to give the tree a handsome shape. 



