138 NEW ZEALAND GARDENING. 



smoothed over with the pruning knife. These remarks 

 apply to most of the hybrid Chinas and hybrid Bourbons, 

 also to some of the hybrid Provence, hybrid perpetuals and 

 Bourbons. 



Moderate Pruning consists in using the knife more freely 

 than in the former case, in leaving but two eyes of last year's 

 wood, and in carefully training the branches, so as to make 

 the head round and compact. As roses that require 

 moderate pruning have a greater natural tendency to flower 

 than those in the last mentioned class, a little inattention is 

 not so injurious to them. Under this head may be 

 enumerated the greater part of our newest and best roses, 

 including the moss, Gallica, damask, hybrid damask, per- 

 petual, and a great portion of the best hybrid perpetuals and 

 Bourbons. 



The third method, or close pruning system, is used for 

 those roses which are termed dwarf growers, or that make 

 but little wood. This class is not numerous in comparison 

 with the others, but it contains many of the brightest gems, 

 of the rosery. They succeed better on dwarf stocks than on 

 those of four or five feet in height. In some cases they are 

 shy growers, and apt to overflower their strength. This is- 

 obviated by close pruning : as the strongest shoots come 

 from the crown, and as it is the interest of the grower to get 

 wood in this class, the last year's shoots should be cut away 

 pretty freely. Under this head may be classed a few of the 

 best moss roses and many hybrid perpetuals, damask per- 

 petuals, and some of the Bourbon tribe. 



Yellow Briar Roses. Roses of this class are peculiar in 

 their flowering, and therefore require peculiar pruning ; they 

 are very early bloomers, and make no wood previous to- 

 flowering. They generally put forth the leaf and bud about 

 the same time ; it is, therefore, necessary that as much as 

 possible of last year's wood be retained, particularly the ends 

 of the branches, from whence most of the flowers proceed. 

 The method that must be pursued in order to get as much 

 flowering wood as possible is not to prune them when other 

 roses are pruned, but shortly after they have done flowering, 

 leaving three or four branches a little shortened. The rest 

 must be cut well back, when they will make good flowering 

 wood the remainder of the season and ripen it well. 



