FORCING ROSES. 93 



The Chairman remarked that if frost was not necessary the wood 

 might be ripened much earlier than if it was. 



Mr. Moore continued by saying that he was not yet satisfied as to 

 the best way of pruning. Some growers recommend cutting down 

 to three or four buds, but strong growers must be pruned longer 

 than weak ones. He cut enough flowers last summer to pay for 

 the care of the plants. 



E. W. Buswell asked Mr. Moore whether he thought it prefer- 

 able to expose the plants to frosts or to ripen the wood by dr3-ing. 



Mr. Moore replied that he had practised but one method, — 

 freezing, — though he had withheld water in the fall. He did not 

 think the bottoms of the pots had been frozen, but the surfaces cer- 

 tainly had. 



James Cartwright said that he had adopted the same method as 

 Mr. Moore had described, but had planted some out and did not see 

 much difference between them and those grown in pots. He gener- 

 ally froze them, but had some not frozen and did not see much dif- 

 ference. 



Mr. Moore said that he struck a lot of plants last spring, which 

 were coming into bloom. 



Mr. Cartwright said that he intended to grow all his plants out- 

 doors next year. He thought 3'oung plants did better than large 

 ones. He did not think that plants in pots bloomed earlier than 

 those planted out. In his opinion, all the roses forced to bloom at 

 Christmas cost more money than could be got for them. 



M. H. Merriam said that from his experience the present winter, 

 he had come to the conclusion that forcing roses which had not been 

 exposed to frost was not successful. There are some plants which 

 it is necessary to ripen off and expose to a certain degree of cold, 

 among which are the lily of the valley and the strawbeny. 



Charles M. Hovey said there is no frost in Southern Califor- 

 nia, yet pears are grown successfully there. He did not know that 

 pear trees are benefited b}- frost. It is ti'ue that the California pears 

 are not equal in flavor to those of Massachusetts, but, so far as 

 growth and productiveness are concerned, they have settled the 

 question whether frost is necessary to the pear. It appears from 

 the attempt of Mr. Simpson to grow three crops of grapes in two 

 3'ears, that a period of rest is necessary. The leaves fall without 

 nnj frost, from want of sufficiently high temperature. To produce 

 fruit there must be a preparation of the sap, which in certain varie- 



