ROSES THAT BLOOM IN JUNE. 53 



double, and a certain bloomer. Tuscany ', or Black 

 Tuscany, is not black, but of a very dark rich 

 crimson; in richness of colour it has very few 

 equals, and to behold it in its beauty it must be 

 seen before the sun affects it. Its deficiency is 

 want of petals, but it forms an excellent parent 

 from which to procure seed ; for being profuse in 

 pollen, you can always readily obtain it to impart 

 to other sorts richness of colour. 



The varieties of Rosa Gallica are very numer- 

 ous, and every year adds to the quantity ; they all 

 do best grown on their own roots ; their growth is 

 such as will require to be kept under with the 

 knife, and they bear pruning much better than the 

 Provins or Moss Rose. The best period for the 

 operation is from November to early in the spring ; 

 thin out the wood where it is thick, and cut back 

 the young shoots to three or four eyes of the wood 

 of the preceding year's growth. When the pruning 

 of a plant is finished, there should not be one shoot 

 crossing another, and every shoot or branch should 

 stand free and straight. The plants require manure 

 or rich compost dug in among their roots once a 

 year, unless the ground is of a very rich nature ; 

 in that case once in two years will be sufficient. If 

 some of the plants are pruned in November, and 

 others in March, or after the foliage begins to ap- 

 pear, it will make about eight or ten days difference 



