152 CULTURE OF THE ROSE. 



The preceding- remarks are applicable to roses at the time of 

 planting ; they should also be pruned every year — the hardy 

 varieties in the autumn or winter, and the more tender in the 

 spring. For all roses that are not liable to have part of their 

 wood killed by the cold, the autumn is decidedly the best time 

 for pruning ; the root, having then but little top to support, is left 

 at liberty to store up nutriment for a strong growth the following 

 season. The principal objects in pruning, are the removal of the 

 old wood, because it is generally only the young wood that pro- 

 duces large and fine flowers ; the shortening and thinning out 

 of the young wood, that the root, having much less wood to sup- 

 port, may devote all its nutriment to the size and beauty of the 

 flower ; and the formation of a symmetrical shape. If an abund- 

 ant bloom is desired without regard to the size of the flower, 

 only the weak shoots should be cut out, and the strong wood 

 should be shortened very little ; each bud will then produce a 

 flower. By this mode, the flowers will be small and the growth 

 of new wood very short, but there will be an abundant and very 

 showy bloom. If, however, the flowers are desired as large and 

 as perfect as possible, all the weak wood should be cut out en- 

 tirely, and all the strong wood of the last season's formation 

 should be cut down to two eyes. The knife should always be 

 applied directly above a bud and sloping upward from it. The 

 preceding observations apply principally to rose bushes or dwarf 

 roses ; with pillar, climbing and tree roses, the practice should be 

 somewhat different. The two former require comparatively littlp 

 pruning ; they require careful thinning out, but should seldom 

 be shortened. The very young side shoots can sometimes be 

 shortened in, to prevent the foliage from becoming too thick and 

 crowded. 



Pillars for roses can be made of trellis work, of iron rods 

 in different forms, or of wood, but they should enclose a space of 

 at least a foot in diameter. The cheapest plan, and one that will 

 last many years, is to make posts of about li or 2 inches square, 

 out of locust or pitch-pine plank, and connect them with common 

 hoop-iron. They should be tiie length of a plank — between 



