Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Climbers 47 



supply: it may be this or the same conditions in reverse order, viz. supply 

 creating the demand. Be it what it may, the demand for this class of 

 goods is unmistakable, for never in the history of flower-growing for 

 market have floral and allied decorations been carried out on so lavish a 

 scale as at the present time. Obviously, then, the demand exists, and the 

 grower who would be up to date in such matters must be up and doing also. 



PREPARING THE PLANTS. From what has been said of trained speci- 

 mens and the like it should be clear that a season or more of prepara- 

 tion is required before the plants are in a condition for forcing, or even 

 capable of producing a representative display of flowers. This indeed 

 is true, and of necessity the initial expense, where the plants are grown 

 on a large scale whether as concerns the purchase or the creation of 

 stock, the cost of pots, or cultural care and attention during the waiting 

 months is very considerable. This much of course has to be faced, 

 the cost to be regarded as an essential in the case, a necessary part of 

 the equipment of a plant-growing concern. 



Of primary importance in all pot-grown Roses is that of established 

 plants, and that kind of establishing in particular which is responsible 

 for a smaller and more concentrated growth as opposed to the greater 

 grossness of the plants when these are grown in the open ground. Now 

 there are two ways of raising stock, viz. summer budding on to stocks 

 already in the open ground, and grafting or budding on to stocks under 

 glass during the winter season or the early months of the year. Each 

 of these methods has its own advocates, and the twain are capable of 

 advantageous adoption by any who will. The indoors budded or 

 grafted plants will require to be liberally dealt with from the first, to 

 encourage the production of those radical growths or "rods" so essential 

 to a good flowering. It is in plant-growing affairs a species of founda- 

 tion-stone laying, and the work must be well and truly done if the 

 superstructure subsequently to be raised thereon is to play a success- 

 ful part. For this portion of the work a year or more will be required, 

 the plants in all circumstances to be grown in the fullest light and to 

 receive every possible attention. 



TEAS AND HYBRID TEAS, when pot-grown, may be flowered in a few 

 weeks or months from the graft, and may be greenhouse-grown from 

 the start. It is of course not advised that these youthful plants be 

 allowed to distress themselves by a too early flowering; rather should 

 this be discouraged, so that the plants can make greater headway. The 

 first growths are not infrequently poor and insignificant, so much so 

 that it is a good plan when they have become fairly mature to prune 

 them back to their base to encourage a stronger break. The subse- 

 quent treatment of this section is thinning rather than pruning as 

 ordinarily understood, though hard pruning may be indulged in when 

 the plants have become ungainly or even overcrowded with shoots. 



HYBRID PERPETUALS. The true "perpetual" flowering Roses of those 

 we have named is the Tea or Hybrid Tea, the varieties of the present 



