496 Stray Thonglits on Roses. 



Tliat part of the communication wliich refers to autumn 

 pruning, however, should be cautiously followed north of 

 Washington. Many of the perpetuals are not perfectly 

 hardy, and, without little protection, often lose a portion of 

 their shoots in winter ; and though fall pruning may, and 

 we know will, in a degree, bring earlier roses, still it should 

 be adopted with caution. But south and west of Washing- 

 ton, all Mr. Rivers's remarks may be strictly followed. 



The list of really good roses is Avell worthy of recommen- 

 dation to every amateur ; they are all fine, and will never 

 fail to afford a good bloom of splendid flowers. — Ed. 



For some time past, those beautiful roses distinguished as 

 "hybrid perpetuals" have been gradually rising in the esteem 

 of all rose lovers ; but this is a crowning season of favor, for 

 they have proved to be not only the latest but the earliest of 

 all roses. On the 14th of May last, I gathered a fine bou- 

 quet of flowers from the open borders, of the following sorts : 

 Baronne Prevost, Madame Laff"ay, William Jesse, and Duchess 

 of Sutherland. These, and many others, have been in full 

 bloom ever since that period. How pleasant is it to reflect, 

 that these are not, as is the case with our summer roses, the 

 beauties of a day; in August, September, and even in No- 

 vember, we may have roses in abundance. A rich soil and 

 a warm climate is, however, necessary for very late flowers. 

 In the north of England, I have often seen them with abun- 

 dance of buds in autumn, which had not opened on account 

 of the cold and stormy weather. In the midland counties, 

 and in the south and west, they will give their flowers in 

 profusion under the most simple culture. Plant them in a 

 richly manured soil, give them abundance of liquid manure 

 all the summer, and be sure and shorten every blooming 

 shoot, as soon as its flowers have faded, to within three or 

 four buds of its base. 



My roses of this group were this season, as mentioned 

 above, most remarkably early. The season, of course, had 

 something to do with it, but the management of the plants, 

 entirely the result of accident, accelerated their blooming at 

 least ten days or a fortnight ; let me then tell, in as few 

 words as possible, how I have ascertained the best mode of 



