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122 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



May 



cupped, nnd beautifully formed, is equally eligible as a tall 

 standard ; its branches are thorny, and more rigid than those 

 of the preceding ; it comes into bloom a few days after it. 

 and soon forms a fine spreading tree. Boursault Inermis has 

 flowers of a rather deep and bright red ; this has llie same 

 luxuriant growth, and, like the above, will soon make a tree 

 of large size. 



To make a collection of Standard Climbing Rosea complete, 

 we must enlist a few of the Ayrshire Koses, for a reason 

 which I shall hereafter give ; and among these, Bennet's 

 Seedling, or Ro.sa Thoresbyana, which rovers itself wit!i its 

 very <louble llowers of the purest white, deserves a place. 

 The Dundee Rambler also is a most robust-growing and beau- 

 tiful variety; the outer petals of its flowers are often tinted 

 with pink. Ruga, not quite so gracefully pendulous as some 

 above enumerated, is exceedingly pretty, with its delicate 

 flesh-colored blossoms, which are slightly fragrant ; and 

 Splendens. with its large globular flowers of creamy white, 

 is remarkably and elegantly so ; its branches have so much 

 grace, waving with every breeze, that the eye is at once 

 attracted. These few varieties I have described, bloom in 

 succession nearly as follows ; — first, the Crimson Boursault, 

 and then the ISoursault Gracilis and Boursault Inermis ; 

 Bennet's Seedling and the other Ayrshires trip merrily along, 

 scarcely in the rear ; and then our more steady and.enduring 

 friends, the varieties of Rosa Sempervirens, with their slowly 

 fading tlowers and never fading leaves. 



If Stindard Climbing Roses are purchased, supposing they 

 are planted in December, they should be pruned in the Feb- 

 ruary following, i, e. on being transplanted they must always 

 be pruned. This pruning should be tolerably severe, eacli 

 shoot shortened to within six or eight buds ; the tree will 

 then, the first sea.son, form the fi>undalion of a well propor- 

 tioned head : no more pruning will be required. I liave 

 just stepped out to look at my standards, and find that some 

 dead shoots in the center of some of my trees, hidden by the 

 li-aves in summer, may now be removed ; nnd that is all. 

 How pleasant it is to have Standard Roses requiring no 

 pruning ! for it really goes home to the heart o( a Kosc-lover 

 to ha\e to shear otT. for llie future welfare of the tree, all llie 

 finest and most lux^niant branches, which, as they fall to 

 the ground under the knife of the operator, seem to lament 

 their hard fate in being thus ''cut off" only because they are 

 too full of health and vigor. 



Those who can procure their own stocks should select 

 them perfectly straight, and none of ihein of less size than a 

 gun-barrel, as much stouter as possible ; their height may 

 be from four lo six feet, — if the situation they are to be 

 planted in is exposed to winds, the former height is prefer- 

 able : the first summer after planting they may be budded . 

 three shoots, if possible, should be left for this purpose ; the 

 following spring they will " break" with mucli vigor. -As 

 soon as the shoot from each bud is six inches long, pinch ofl' 

 its top i laterals will be soon produced ; these, if your three 

 bud.s are successful, will not require furtlir r pinching ; but 

 if you have saved only one or two huds, you must pinch till 

 you ha\e enough laterals to form a well furnished head. 

 I'lien all is finished, and you have nothing but enjoyment to 

 look forward to ; no pruning cares to disturb your equanim- 

 ity and prick your fingers in winter, or pinching and disbud- 

 ding with the same risk in summer. 



The annexed cut, from Paul's Rnsc Garden, con- 

 veys a good idea of one of the Weeping Roses. 

 Our double prairie roses, l^uecn of the Prairies, 

 Baltimore lietle, Perpetual Pink, and all tlie oilier?, 

 are the very best for this puriiose, and our native 

 sweet briar, to be found in all parts of the country, 

 an excellent stock, strong and hardy. Here we have 

 at hand all the materials for the production, at little 

 cost-, of these charming trees. Who will neglect lo 

 cultivate ihem, that has a rod of ground to embellish ? 



Mr. Rivers treats so fully of the details of culture, 

 that not a word more on that point need be added. 



.*. N9WF.KS TO CoRRKSPONnF.NTS. — J. W., Ulysses. Your 

 thorn seeds will vegetate well the second year. Jt is bet- 

 ter 10 put in a " rot heap" one year before sowing. It is a 

 had practice to ciiiise tiie buds of fruit trees to start and grow 

 the same year they are ins-rted. Wo quite agree with you 

 in cautioning beginners against it. 



FLOWER GAEDENING. 



This month (May,) is the time for giving the finish- 

 ing touch to the flower gardens and borders, by turn- 

 ing out Verbenas, Monthly Roses, Heliotr^^pes, Petu- 

 nias, PIdoxes, Salvias, and all such plants as have 

 been grown in pots for this purpose. Have the 

 ground in good order — rich, mellow, and deep. On 

 a cloudy day, turn them out without breaking the 

 balls of earth in vvliich they grow. If the weather 

 is warm and dry, water and shade them for a day or 

 two. Dahlias should be planted about the end of 

 the month. Strong young plants in pots are much 

 better than old roots. Turn them carefully out of 

 the pots, on a moist, cloudy day, if possible, and 

 put a stake four or five feet high to each, tliat the 

 stems may be tied to at once ; they are succulent 

 and easily broken by the wind. Plant none but first 

 rale sorts, as a poor Dahlia is the meanest thing 

 imaginable, and a really good one surpas.ses all other 

 flowers of the garden, in richness and beauty. Box 

 edging may be set all the month. This should be 

 done neatly. When box is newly set, it. should not 

 show more than two or three inches of a thin, even, 

 connected line above the ground. Some people plant 

 it like trees, or hedge plants, leaving spaces between 

 each, making a most ridiculous thing of it. 



Evergreens may be planted all this month. There 

 should be no house in the country, without ever- 

 greens. They are in every season both useful and 

 beautiful, for the shade, shelter, and variety they give. 

 The White Pine, Balsam Fir,* Hemlock, Red and 

 White Spruce, and Red and White Cedar, are all na- 

 tive trees and easily obtained. The Norway Spruce, 

 Silver Fir, Scotch Fir, Austrian Fir, besides the 

 new and rare species, such as the Deodar, Auracaria, 

 Cedar of Lebanon, Lofty and Bhotan Pine, Smith's 

 or Himalayan Spruce, and a nuiltitude of others, can 

 be had al the nurseries. Every man in the country 

 who has an acre or two of ground about his house, to 

 spare, should make an arboretum of it. By planting 

 a few trees every year, at leisure times, he might 

 soon have a collection equal to that of some of the 

 English noblemen, and at a very trifling expenditure. 

 See what a variety our own forests produce ! Let 

 us think and do a little for the beautiful, and not all 

 and always for the useful. 



The Season. — Up to this time (April I5th) we 

 have had unusually cold weather for the season. 

 Vegetation is no more forward now than it was in 

 February last, generally speaking. The fruit buds, 

 however, look well, and the probability is that when 

 the weather does come warm, we shall have no mate- 

 rial drawbacks in" the way of unseasonable cold, aa 

 last season. 



The New Hampshire Festival. — A very kind 

 friend at Boston has favoTed us with a copy of the 

 proceedings of this great festival, printed and bound 

 in a style equal to our best annuals. We shall give 

 an interesting extract from this work in our next. 



Several communications on hand, but crowded 

 Out of this number. A. W., Marcellus, N. Y.; A. 

 Stone, of Hinmanville : G. W., Victor ; S. Trask, 

 and others, will appear next month. 



Wr learn that the proceedings of the Pomological 

 Congress are in press, at Albany. It is a great pity 

 tlieir publication has been so long delayed. 



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