58 Roses for Amateurs. 



tically a business ; these are, for the most part nurserymen 

 and Rose .specialists. This work, however, is obviously not 

 intended for such as these, but for the amateur who desires to 

 excel. In the gardens of the majority of amateurs who 

 appreciate Roses space is, unfortunately, very restricted and. 

 as we have stated elsew r here, the flowers cannot be produced 

 to perfection when crowded amongst rampant-growing sub- 

 jects in the mixed bed or border. If the amateur has a 

 fairly large garden and seriously intends to go in for Rose 

 exhibition, it will be a good plan to set apart a spacv 

 specially to accommodate his trees. Often in a large kitchen 

 garden space could be found for such, and there they could 

 doubtless be more readily attended to than in the flower 

 garden proper. Still Rose-showing, like many other hobbies, 

 has been reduced to a fine art, and the amateur must not 

 expect at the outset to compete successfully with those who 

 have had to buy their experience. An exhibitor must be 

 careful about disbudding, although, under certain circum- 

 stances, he may be indifferent about shading. It is of 

 no use rather the reverse for an exhibitor to leave more 

 than one bud at the end of each shoot ; therefore, as soon as 

 they are large enough, the side buds must be taken out ; and, 

 in case of high winds prevailing, each shoot should have a 

 stake. It is always best to be provided with shades, which 

 are to be placed over each blossom ; these are made of various 

 kinds. We have known a grower ere now shade his Teas 

 with what are ordinarily called Zulu hats; these can be had 

 at a very cheap rate. Another form of shading is to make 

 conical caps of wire, and then to stretch on these thin calico. 

 Still, the best form of blossom-protector that we know is the 

 Acme (of which an illustration is given). This combines 

 lightness and rigidity with ready adjustability and durability. 

 The object in shading is to keep the flowers clear from rain, 

 and also, in the case of the darker flowers, to shield them 

 from the burning effects of the sun's rays. 



